You Found Me
by Mahone-chic-89
Summary: NHL hockey fic: Brooks Laich is one of the Washington Capitals' stars. His life seems perfect...until a horrible tragedy changes everything. When someone new comes into his life, will he be able to let her in? Or will his past be too much for them both?
1. Tragedy

**Full Summary: Brooks Laich is one of the Washington Capitals' star forwards. He excels in all he does, but when tragedy strikes, will he be able to cope? Or will the pain be too much for him to go on? When someone new comes into his life will he be able to let her in, or will his past be too much for the both of them to handle?**

**This story was inspired by a very, very good friend of mine who is in love with Brooksy : ) She's actually the future Mrs. Brooks Laich ;) haha! This one's for you Annette!**

This couldn't be happening.

Things like this just didn't happen to guys like him.

It wasn't possible.

Brooks Laich sat in shock on the edge of his bed in a small apartment in downtown D.C. His brilliant blue eyes were glazed over and his face frozen as he dropped the receiver to the floor. In that moment his entire world began to spin around him. He felt his vision begin to fade and he didn't bother to fight the blackness that quickly surrounded him.

…

Mike Green paced outside Brooks Laich's door anxiously. He ran a hand through his tousled black hair and sighed impatiently as he waited for his best friend to answer the door. They had agreed to go out for the evening and have some fun on the town, but Brooks wasn't answering the door. Mike had been waiting for over ten minutes and was beginning to get annoyed with his best friend.

"I swear if he stood me up I'm gonna be so pissed," muttered Mike under his breath as he pounded on the door, "Yo! Brooksy! You awake man?"

Mike waited a moment longer and then growled under his breath as he reached for the door knob. He raised an eyebrow in surprise when he noticed that the door was unlocked. Brooks always kept his place locked up…they were in downtown D.C. after all. Mike frowned as he walked into the apartment and called out for his friend.

"Brooks? Dude, where are you?" he asked as he rounded the corner, "Dude, seriously…"

Mike trailed off when he saw Brooks Laich, passed out on the floor next to his bed with the phone lying next to him.

"Shit!" hissed Mike as he hurried over and bent down to see if his friend was okay, "C'mon Brooksy, don't do this to me, man."

Mike rolled his friend over onto his back and tried to rouse him. When Brooks didn't respond, Mike raced into the kitchen and grabbed a cold glass of water. He ran back over to Brooks and dumped the ice-cold water on his friend's face. Instantly, Brooks began coughing and sputtering as he frantically wiped the water off of his face.

"Brooks!" said Mike, relief evident in his voice, "What the hell happened?"

Brooks Laich sat up slowly, his head pounding as he tried to collect his jumbled thoughts…something about a phone call…a car…accident…Tracy…

Instantly, Brooks felt like he was going to throw up. He stumbled towards his bathroom and heaved into the toilet. Mike grimaced as he listened to his friend cough up whatever it was he had eaten earlier that day. Once the heaving subsided, Mike walked into the bathroom to check on his friend.

"You okay?" he asked quietly as he studied the look on Brooks' face.

Brooks shook his head slowly back and forth. He had paled to a ghostly-white color and his blue eyes looked dull as he turned his gaze slowly toward Mike.

"Mikey…she's…she's dead," he whispered hoarsely as emotion threatened to overwhelm him.

Mike Green froze instantly at that, "What? No…no there's no way! Brooksy…we just saw her at lunch…no…how…?"

Brooks looked away as he began to shudder with emotion. The image of Tracy's smiling face, her long brunette hair, her dazzling smile flashed through his mind.

"The…hospital said…it was a drunk…driver," choked out Brooks as he heaved again into the toilet.

"Aw shit," muttered Mike as he sunk down onto the bathroom floor in shock, "Oh God…no…"

Brooks finished heaving into the toilet and reached over for a towel to wipe his face. After a few moments, Mike began to get over the initial shock of the news and moved over next to Brooks. He draped an arm around his shoulders and together, the two best friends mourned the loss of Brooks Laich's girlfriend…

_Lost and insecure__  
__You found me, you found me__  
__Lyin' on the floor__  
__Surrounded, surrounded__  
__Why'd you have to wait?__  
__Where were you? Where were you?__  
__Just a little late__  
__You found me, you found me___

_In the end__  
__Everyone ends up alone__  
__Losing her__  
__The only one who's ever known__  
__Who I am__  
__Who I'm not, who I wanna be__  
__No way to know__  
__How long she will be next to me…_


	2. The Long Road

**Decided to update again : ) Enjoy!**

_Two Weeks Later…_

Alexander Ovechkin sighed as he watched Brooks Laich skate around the Kettler practice facility. Ovechkin's ice-blue eyes missed nothing as he watched his friend and teammate skate around without any real purpose or drive. He flippantly sent a puck at Semyon Varlamov and the young goaltender easily batted it away with his stick. Alex's frown deepened at that as Matt Bradley skated over to him.

"What are we gonna do?" he muttered so that the other players wouldn't hear.

"What do you mean?" asked Alex, his eyes never leaving Laich.

"I mean…what do we do about Brooksy? I understand he's been to hell and back but we can't have a guy on the team whose mind is never in the game. He nearly cost us that game against the Flyers."

Ovechkin shot a disapproving glance in Bradley's direction, "No, our defense nearly cost us that game."

Matt sighed, "Look, Alex I know you guys are close, but you have to think about what's good for the team…"

"Yeah? And what about what's good for Brooks?" snapped Mike Green, his dark eyes flashing dangerously as he skated up to his two teammates, "Anyone stop to think about that?"

"It's nothing personal, Mike, you know that," argued Matt Bradley, "It's just business."

Mike sneered at that, "Sorry I put my friendships over 'business,'" he said as he skated off to join Brooks at the other end of the rink. He cast a final glare over his shoulder at Matt before he started tossing a puck back and forth with Brooks.

"I'll deal with it," said Ovechkin before Bradley could say anything else, "I'm the captain, I'll deal with it, alright? Just leave the guy alone…he just lost his girlfriend."

Bradley growled in frustration, "I just don't want to lose games because he can't put his emotions on the sidelines."

Alex frowned as he watched Matt Bradley skate away to join Perreault and Semin. He knew that Matt didn't mean to come off as harsh and cold as he did. He was just thinking about the team and what would be best for all of them. But Alex had to balance not only what was best for the team, but what was also best for his friend. No matter what decision Alex came to, he knew there was no good or easy answer. How were you supposed to deal with something like this? How were you supposed to confront a guy who lost his girlfriend to a drunk driver and ask him why "his head wasn't in the game?" Alex sighed and shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He had to lead his team through this practice and then he would deal with Brooks Laich…but for now his team needed him. And he of all people needed to keep his mind "in the game."

…

After practice the Capitals filed into the locker room and began to change out of their pads and hit the showers. Alex Ovechkin purposefully stalled in the locker room and waited for Brooks to finish his shower. He busied himself by talking with some of the younger guys on the team, giving them advice and pointers on various plays and stick handling skills.

After awhile the locker room began to clear out and only a few players were left. Brooks emerged from the showers and made his way over toward his locker. He reached inside and pulled out a black t-shirt and pulled it over his head as Alex walked over to him.

"Stick around for a while," he muttered in Brooks' ear, "I want to have a word with you."

Brooks glanced away, predicting what Alex wanted to tell him, "Yeah, sure," he muttered as he finished packing his gear bag.

Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green huddled together on the other side of the locker room, glancing over their shoulders and observing the interaction between their captain and Brooks Laich.

"Shit," muttered Green, "I hate this. Why can't they just leave him alone?"

Backstrom frowned, "I dunno…I guess some of the guys are getting anxious about Brooksy. I think they're afraid that he won't snap out of this and he'll never get back to the player he used to be."

"It's been two weeks!" hissed Mike, "Two goddamned weeks! Give the man a break!"

Nicklas put his hands up in surrender, "Whoa, easy there Mike…I didn't say that's what I thought. I'm just guessing that's what the rest of the team is thinking."

Mike forced himself to take a deep, calming breath, "Yeah…yeah I know, Nicky. Sorry…I'm just a little tense right now."

"Couldn't tell," joked Nicklas as he playfully punched Mike's shoulder, "C'mon…we better get out of here. I think Alex is waiting for everyone to leave before he talks to him."

Mike nodded as he glanced back over at the two star players. He exchanged a sympathetic glance with Brooks Laich and gave him an encouraging nod before he followed Backstrom out of the locker room.

…

"Look, Alex, I know what this is about," said Brooks after the last few players left, "I'll work harder…I'll try and…"

"Brooks," interrupted Alex as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder and forced him to look in his eyes. He paused a long moment before he asked, "All I really want to know right now is how you're holding up. We all know you haven't been yourself lately and that's to be expected. So…how are you?"

Brooks looked a little taken aback by the question. He had expected a full-on lecture about his bad turn-overs at center ice or his fanned shots, not this.

"Um…I've been better," he said with a sad smile, "I've been a hell of a lot better."

Alex nodded, "Do you think you should take some time off? Try and get your mind back in the game? I don't think traveling around, playing a game in a new city every night and sleeping in different hotels every night is going to help you get over this."

Brooks bit his lower lip, trying to fight back the emotion that clogged his throat, "Alex, I seriously doubt I'll ever get over this."

Alex glanced away awkwardly, "Well…I mean…I didn't mean…"

"No, it's okay," interrupted Brooks, "I know what you meant. I think…yeah I think some time away might be good."

Alex saw the pain in Brooks' eyes as his friend admitted his weakness. Brooks was a tough guy. He could play through any injury without complaint. Admitting that he wasn't fit to play was something that Brooks had never done before and Alex could tell it was tearing him apart inside.

"I'm sorry," apologized Brooks, "I don't want to let the team down…"

"Right now you need to take care of yourself first," assured Alex, "The team will understand."

Brooks nodded as he felt moisture welling up around his eyes. The thought of having to step down and not play for a few weeks upset him greatly, but he knew he had to. He was no good to his team in the condition he was currently in.

Alex leaned forward and gave his friend a hug and patted him on the back, "Get outta here, Brooksy. Go take care of what you need to take care of…we'll be here when you're ready to come home."

Brooks felt his throat tighten when Ovechkin called the team "home." Being here really did feel like being home…these guys were like a family to him.

Brooks nodded, unable to speak as emotion overwhelmed him. He grabbed his bag and made a bee-line for the door. As he stepped out into the bright morning light, Brooks knew he had a long road to travel down now. The road to recovery was going to be long, hard and painful…but he had no other choice. He had to go through this so he could move on. He had to learn to let go of her…

…

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	3. Accused

**Thank you for reading! Just a warning: there is strong language in this chapter and probably throughout the rest of the story so if that offends you then don't read! Thanks!**

_Three Days Later…_

"This is un-fucking-believable," growled Matt Hendricks as he stormed into the locker room, "First we lose to the goddamned Penguins and now this shit. Un-fucking-believable!"

Mike Green sneered in agreement as he sat down on one of the benches and ran his hands through his dark hair, "As if we needed any more issues," he grumbled.

"Who the hell told them?" asked John Carlson, the young rookie looked scared and confused, "I mean…I don't think any of us are doing that crap, but…who would have told them we are?"

"Guess we made an enemy," suggested Alex Semin in a thick, Russian accent.

"Who?" asked Carlson, "Who the hell would hate us this much?"

"Maybe the feds will tell us," said Carl Alzner.

"The feds?" asked Matt Bradley, whirling around in surprise, "Who said anything about feds? I thought this was an in-house issue?"

"No, dude," said Alzner, "They called the feds on us. They're sending an FBI agent over to start interrogating us."

"Aw shit!" hissed Tom Poti, "Talk about your bad PR."

"I swear if any of you are guilty of what they accused us of, I'll kill you," threatened Jason Chimera as he glared around the locker room.

"Oh please," scoffed Mathieu Perreault as he sat down next to Mike Green, "I don't think anyone here is that stupid."

"Well we're about to find out," said Alex Ovechkin as he walked into the locker room, "The fed is here. She's gonna start calling us in one by one."

"Great," grumbled Hendricks, irritably, "Can't wait to be strapped up in a chair with a bunch of probes and some damn machine determining whether or not I'm telling the truth."

"Well if you haven't done anything then you have nothing to worry about," snapped Ovechkin, his patience clearly waning, "Just answer the questions so we can all be done with this and move on, okay?"

Hendricks rolled his eyes but nodded in compliance as he slammed his locker door shut, "Alright…who's on the chopping block first?"

…

Brooks Laich lay in bed, his eyes shut tight against the morning light that filtered into his room. He was awake but the thought of opening his eyes and getting out of bed was nauseating. Opening his eyes and climbing out of bed meant accepting the reality of his life…the reality that the love of his life was dead…and that wasn't something he wanted to deal with. Deep down he knew he had to deal with it but everything inside him screamed to just keep sleeping. He didn't have to think when he was asleep…he didn't have to remember…

The shrill ringing of his phone jolted him from his thoughts and forced him to open his eyes. He groaned in complaint as he reached over and grabbed the receiver.

"Yeah?" he asked his voice deep and rough from the past few days of mourning his loss.

"Brooks? It's Coach."

"Oh…Coach, hi," said Brooks Laich as he sat up in bed and cleared his throat, "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, know you're on some personal time, but we need you to come back in for a few minutes. There's…a situation at Kettler."

"A situation?" asked Brooks, his eyebrows furrowing together in confusion, "What happened?"

"Can't say…we just need you here as soon as possible. It shouldn't take very long."

Brooks frowned at that, "Yeah, okay I'll be right over."

He hung up the phone and sighed as he forced himself to get up out of bed. The last thing he wanted to do right now was go to Kettler. As much as he loved his team and the sport he played, he didn't want to see the sympathetic looks from his friends. The sympathy forced him to constantly think about what had happened. It made him feel weak and vulnerable. He hated it.

"Suck it up, Brooks," he said as he studied the reflection in his bathroom mirror, "It's just for a few minutes…"

…

"You called Brooksy back?" exclaimed an outraged Mike Green, "The man needs space! He doesn't need to be called back here!"

"Mike, trust me I know, alright?" argued Coach Boudreau as he glanced around at his team in the locker room, "But the feds want to question everyone on the team, including Brooksy."

Mike sneered, "Oh yeah like Brooks would be the one to use steroids. This whole thing is stupid."

"May be, but we don't really have much say in the matter," argued Coach, "Might as well cooperate and send the feds home happy. We don't need the papers tomorrow morning to say that the Washington Capitals refused to comply with drug tests and interrogations."

Mike looked like he wanted to belabor the point but he refrained. Nicklas Backstrom gave his friend a sympathetic pat on the back.

"It's alright Mikey," he murmured quietly, "This shouldn't take long and we can get back to practice and Brooksy can get back to his personal time."

Mike sighed but nodded in consent. He was letting his temper get the best of him again. Now was not the time for angry outbursts. He needed to stay calm and collected so that he and his team could get through this process as fast as possible.

…

Brooks Laich sauntered into the locker room and was greeted by cheers from his teammates, hugs and pats on the back. He forced a smile and thanked his friends as he maneuvered over to where Mike, Nicklas and Alex Ovechkin were sitting.

"So what is this all about?" he asked as he sat down between Nicklas and Mike.

"Apparently some idiot reported that we were using drugs," grumbled Mike.

"What? Who?" asked Brooks, looking thoroughly confused.

"We don't know," answered Alex, "Someone we pissed off probably."

"Or someone looking to make a buck," sneered Backstrom in annoyance.

Brooks frowned, "Great…so what do we have to do? Be polygraphed or something?"

"Yep," grumbled Green, "It's so stupid…I hate feds."

Alex and Nicklas nodded in agreement as Coach Boudreau sauntered back into the locker room.

"Nicklas, you're up first," he announced.

"Shit," muttered Nicklas, "Wish me luck guys."

The team wished Nicklas luck as they watched him leave the room and head out to meet the federal government agent…

…

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	4. Interrogations

**Thank you for reading and reviewing! : )**

Nicklas Backstrom fidgeted nervously in the empty office room. The room had been temporarily converted into an interrogation room for the pending case against the Washington Capitals. The room had been stripped bare except for one desk and three chairs. Nicklas took a deep breath and slowly let it out, trying to calm his nerves before the feds came in. Although he knew he was innocent, something about the bare room and being this close to federal agents unnerved him. He just wanted to get this thing over with so he could get back to doing what he did best: playing hockey.

The door opened and Backstrom straightened up in his seat, trying to appear to be unfazed by everything that was going on. He nearly gawked when he saw 2 young women in a business suites slip into the room with pads of paper under their arms. They both smiled kindly at Nicklas as they walked over and took the seats across the desk from him.

"Hello," said the blonde woman as she extended her hand toward Nicklas, "I'm Agent Annette Harper and this is my partner, Agent Lauren Miller. We're just going to ask you a few questions and then we'll let you go."

"It won't take too long so just relax," said Lauren.

"What? No polygraphs?" asked Nicklas as his eyebrow rose skeptically.

Lauren tried to hide her amusement at that, "No not today."

Nicklas narrowed his eyes a little at the brunette, still doubtful, as the two agents opened their notebooks and began to question him…

…

After a few minutes, the door to the locker room opened. Instantly the players looked up, their eyes wide and expectant as they watched Nicklas Backstrom head back over to his seat next to Mike Green.

"Piece of cake," whispered Nicklas to his friends, "Just answer their questions…it's no big deal."

The players seemed to relax a little at that and looked up as Coach Boudreau walked in.

"Okay, they want Green next," said Boudreau.

Mike took a deep breath as he stood up. Alex Ovechkin slapped his friend on the butt and wished him luck as he left the locker room.

…

"God he's cute," murmured Lauren to her best friend, and partner, Annette.

Annette smirked in amusement, "You always did have a thing for the dark-haired ones."

Lauren nodded in agreement as Mike Green took a seat across the desk from the two FBI agents, "Ladies," he said as he nodded to them. He froze for a second when he made eye-contact with the brunette. Her hazel eyes were mesmerizing. He didn't realize he was staring until the blonde agent cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Mr. Green, did you hear what I said?"

"Huh? What? Oh…um, no…sorry," he muttered, blushing slightly as he fidgeted with his messy hair, "What was that?"

Annette smirked a little as she repeated herself, "I said we just have a few questions to ask you and then we'll be done. Is that okay with you?"

"Um, yeah sure," said Mike, casting another glance in Lauren's direction. The girl was beautiful. Something about her was just hypnotizing. It was as if she was drawing him in…and it was working very, very well.

…

"Well I for one hope that they have to come back and do a follow up or something," announced Green as he re-entered the locker room, "The brunette's cute."

Alex Ovechkin laughed in amusement and Nicklas Backstrom rolled his eyes at his friend, "Somehow I knew you'd find her attractive…she's your type."

Mike ruffled Nicklas' hair and the two got into a play-fight as Coach Boudreau came in.

"Alright, they want Brooksy next!"

Brooks Laich sighed as he stood up. His friends gave him a few encouraging words and slaps on the butt as he headed out of the locker room. He just wanted this to be over with so he could go home…he wanted to be as far away from people as he could possibly be right now…

…

"Holy crap," murmured Annette as Brooks Laich entered the room.

Now it was Lauren's turn to look amused, "So your type," she whispered to her friend. Both she and Annette had been roommates in college and studied various forms of criminal law together. Their dream was to work in Washington D.C. for the FBI in the investigations or crime scene investigation units. So far they had managed to achieve all of their dreams…except for the one about meeting a couple hot guys and getting married.

"Hello," said Annette as she extended her hand and introduced herself, "I'm sorry to trouble you…this shouldn't take too long."

Brooks nodded, "Uh, yeah…yeah no problem," he said as he glanced away awkwardly. He found the blonde agent to be very attractive…and it bothered him. He didn't want to think about being with anyone right now. Not since Tracy died…he couldn't imagine himself falling for anyone the same way again. It just wasn't possible. But damn that blonde was gorgeous. He found himself getting distracted throughout the interrogation and having to ask her to repeat questions. As he stood up to leave he mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. How could he even look at another girl like that? Especially this soon…

…

"So, how'd it go?" asked Mike as Brooks returned to the locker room.

"Um…a lot better than I was hoping," muttered Brooks as he sat down next to his best friend.

Mike raised an eyebrow in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Brooks sighed before he whispered, "I…found myself…attracted to the blonde."

Mike Green's eyes grew round with surprise, "Dude, no way!"

"Shhh!" hissed Brooks as the other players glanced over in their direction, "Keep it down, would you? Geez, Mike."

"Sorry," whispered Mike, "For real though? Wow…I mean I think they're both gorgeous but I call the brunette. I'm gonna try and get her number before they leave."

Brooks rolled his eyes at that, "Always the forward one."

Mike brushed his shoulders off and gave his friend a cocky smile, "You know me…so what about you? You gonna go for the blonde?"

Brooks frowned at that, "You know I can't do that Mikey," he said quietly, "It's too soon…I can't even imagine being with someone else right now. It hurts to even think about that. I always thought I'd spend the rest of my life with Tracy…"

Mike frowned sadly as he saw the pain flickering in his best friend's eyes. He put an arm around Brooks' shoulders, "I hear you. But hey…if I get the brunette I'll have connections to the blonde in the future," said Mike as he gave Brooks Laich a suggestive wink.

"You're shameless," said Brooks with a smirk, "Alright I'm gonna head out of here…I need to get back home."

Mike nodded in understanding, "Take care of yourself man…if you need anything you know my number."

"Mike you live right across the hall," said Brooks, "I'll come knock on the door."

Mike just smirked and waved at Brooks as he left. He sighed as he watched his best friend leave. He said a silent prayer for him, knowing how much pain Brooks was in. He wished he could do more for him...but this was a battle that Brooks Laich was going to have to fight on his own…

…

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	5. Complicated

"Hey! Did you hear?" asked Mike Green as he skated excitedly around Alex Ovechkin the next morning.

"Hear what?" asked Ale with one eyebrow raised in amusement at his overjoyed friend.

"They gotta come back!" exclaimed Mike.

"Whose gotta come back?" asked Michael Neuvirth, the Capitals' backup goaltender as he skated out onto the ice to join the rest of his team for the morning skate.

"The feds!" said Mike with a huge grin plastered on his face.

Neuvirth rolled his eyes, "Only Mike Green would be excited that federal agents are investigating our team for allegedly using steroids."

"It's just cause of the brunette," smirked Backstrom as he skated over to the small group, "He just wants to get his flirt on."

"I plan to be getting more than that on!" said Mike giving Backstrom a suggestive wink, "I gave my number to Varly to give to Agent Miller when it was his turn to be interrogated."

"You made Varly do the hard work for you?" asked Jeff Shultz, "Wow, Mikey."

"What? I don't see you getting any action lately, Shultzy! Don't judge!"

"Hey how about everyone shut up and start skating?" called Ovechkin as he playfully shoved Mike away from him, "We can talk about Mike's love life or lack thereof afterwards."

"Oh please," said Mike as he rolled his eyes, "Ha! Lack thereof…I'll have you know she texted me last night."

"Oh god," muttered Mike Knuble, "We'll never hear the end of it now."

"Just wait till he convinces the poor woman to go on a date with him," said Varly.

Knuble moaned at the thought, "He'll never shut up."

"Does he ever anyway?" joked Semin as he skated by.

"Ha ha, you're all hilarious," said Mike as he glared at all of them through narrowed eyes, "Jealousy isn't attractive you know."

Knuble just laughed at that, "Well my wife likes me just fine."

"Ouch! Burn!" said John Carlson as he laughed at Mike's expense, "Want some ice for that there buddy?"

"I'll kill you Carlson," smirked Green as he charged after the young rookie.

Carlson laughed as he raced down the ice away from Mike Green. Ovechkin rolled his eyes in exasperation as he exchanged a look with the Capitals new acquisition: Jason Arnott.

Arnott laughed, "It's alright Ovie, let them blow off some steam. Things have been so tense lately with the investigation and all the shit with Brooksy it's kind of nice to have Green goofing off and being himself."

Ovechkin couldn't argue with that. He nodded, relenting and skated down to the other end of the rink, "Any of you who actually want to practice can come down here with me!" he called as he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Green put Carlson into a headlock. The rookie squealed like a little kid and begged for mercy. Ovechkin couldn't help but smirk a little at the sight. Arnott was right…Green was providing the stress relief they all needed right now. Alex had felt the pressure of lifting his team up since Brooks had to leave the team to deal with the emotional trauma of losing his girlfriend, and now with the accusations of steroid usage in the locker room, the added stress was beginning to overwhelm him…

…

"So what do the feds want now?" asked Hendricks, looking a little worried, "I thought they found us all to be innocent."

"Well apparently whoever is accusing us is still insisting that we're lying," explained Coach Boudreau as he watched his team change out of their warm-up gear, "So we gotta keep doing this until they either believe us or they believe them…or until one side brings this issue to court."

"Shit," muttered Ovechkin.

"Would they really take this thing to court?" asked Perreault, his eyes wide with surprise, "I mean…is it that serious?"

"In the big leagues players who take steroids don't get off with a little slap on the hand," said Boudreau solemnly, "I want to encourage all of you, if anyone is using steroids come clean now before this gets worse. Don't bring the whole team down for one stupid life choice on your part. I don't believe any of you would do that but if one of you is using steroids…just say it, alright? Let's end this as soon as we can so we can get our minds back into playing hockey. Meanwhile, the agents want to bring you guys in a few at a time for questioning. They paired you up in different groups for whatever reason…so just stick around after your showers. This could be a long afternoon for all of us."

The team let out a collective groan as they changed out of their sweaty warm-up gear. All they wanted to do was shower and then head home for a nap before tonight's game against the Rangers. But now, it looked like they'd spend their afternoon nap time in the "interrogation room" on the third floor of the Kettler Iceplex…

…

"I hate that we have to put them through this," muttered Agent Lauren Miller as she and her partner, Agent Annette Harper, climbed into their black SUV and headed down the road toward the Kettler Iceplex.

Annette nodded in agreement, "I know…I mean I think we both know they're all innocent. The guy just wants money. He's pissed because he got caught selling drugs so now he's looking for people to blame."

"And to get his name out there," muttered Lauren, "Guys like this sleaze-bag love attention. But why the Capitals? Why not another NHL team?"

Annette frowned, "Does he have a grudge against the Caps?"

"I haven't looked into it. Maybe after we finish up this interrogation we should pay our good buddy Vick Marcelo a little visit…see how jail's treating him."

Annette smirked, "Sounds like fun."

…

Brooks Laich felt like punching something…or better yet…someone. For the second day in a row he had been called back into the locker room for more interrogations regarding the accusations made against his team. He was pissed. Whoever had been accusing the Capitals of using steroids better be locked up good and tight.

"Okay, next," said Boudreau as he walked back into the locker room followed by Varlamov, Arnott and Semin, "They want Brooks Laich, Mike Green and Nicklas Backstrom. Head on up boys."

"Here goes nothing," muttered Green, his eyes flashing with irritation, "Maybe after this you can actually _start_ your personal time," he added to Brooks, giving his best friend a sympathetic look.

Brooks snickered, "That'd be nice."

As the three players filtered into the empty room, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the same two female FBI agents were waiting for them.

"Ah, nice to see you two lovely ladies again," said Mike, turning on the charm as he winked at Lauren.

Lauren blushed and glanced away as the three good-looking players sat down across the desk from them. She had spent most of the night last night texting Mike Green. She was hoping that once this case finally got cleared he would ask her out on a date.

"Right back at you guys," said Annette as she glanced over at Brooks Laich.

Brooks swallowed nervously and looked away. He was strangely very attracted to the blonde agent and it bothered him. He shouldn't feel like this…not after what happened to Tracy. He felt like it was wrong, very wrong, for him to even look at another woman so soon after Tracy's tragic death.

"Just a few more clarification questions," began Lauren as she sifting through some papers, "Okay, now none of you have used steroids since you signed with the Washington Capitals, correct?"

The three players shook their heads.

"Good, okay and have any of you ever seen anyone in the locker room use steroids?"

Again the three players shook their heads.

"Have you seen anyone do anything in the locker room that appeared to be suspicious?" asked Annette, "And if so please be as specific as possible."

"Define suspicious," said Nicklas with a smirk on his face.

Lauren tried to hide her amusement at Nicklas' comment, "Um, meaning anyone trying to be unusually sneaky or attempting to hide anything…any kind of action that has caused you any kind of concern over the past few weeks."

"Past few weeks, hell I'm concerned nearly every time I'm in there," smirked Mike, "Have you ever had to see Jason Chimera naked?"

Lauren nearly burst out laughing at that. Annette rolled her eyes in slight annoyance at Mike's smart-aleck comment.

"Okay guys please keep in mind this is a real investigation," she warned, "Please keep your answers serious, alright?"

Mike rolled his eyes, "Oh that's right…you feds are all uptight."

"Hey now," said Lauren as she narrowed her eyes playfully at Mike who returned the look with a little wink.

Brooks Laich rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, "No I haven't seen anything like that."

"Thank _you_," said Annette as she gave Brooks a grateful glance, "And you Mr. Backstrom?"

"Um, nope…nothing," replied Nicklas, still trying to contain his amusement at Mike's comments.

Annette took a deep breath before she asked Mike Green, "And you, Mr. Green?"

Mike regained his composure, "Uh, no…not by what you deem suspicious, no."

Nicklas nearly lost it at that point. Annette glanced over at Lauren and shook her head in exasperation when she saw Lauren making goo-goo eyes with Mike Green.

"Okay, that'll be all for now," said Annette as she glanced over at Brooks Laich, "Did any of you have any other questions or concerns?"

"Uh, yeah I did actually," said Mike as he raised his hand.

Annette stifled a sigh, "What, Mr. Green?"

"You beautiful ladies will be returning won't you?" he said as he threw a suggestive look in Lauren's direction.

"Yes, I'm sorry to tell you but we will be returning shortly," replied Annette as she watched Brooks Laich to gauge his reaction to the news, "I'm afraid this investigation may get complicated."

"Darn," said Mike with an excited grin on his face.

Brooks just rolled his eyes at his best friend's antics as he glanced over at Annette. They made eye-contact and Brooks felt goose-bumps on his arms. Something about that girl's blue eyes just got to him.

"Okay, well that will be all," said Lauren as she stood up with Annette, "Thank you for coming and being patient with us. We'll be seeing you soon."

"I look forward to it," said Mike as he gave Lauren a final wink before he and his teammates turned to leave the room.

Annette watched Brooks Laich leave. He glanced over his shoulder at her before he left and offered her a slight smile. She smiled back and felt her heart flutter a little in her chest. She _had_ to learn more about this gorgeous man…

Brooks walked straight out of the room and made a bee-line for the parking garage. He had to get out of here as soon as possible. He didn't feel right…something was wrong…how could he be attracted to someone right now? It didn't make any sense…and it bothered him. He climbed into his car and raced away from Kettler, trying to put as much distance between himself and the confusion at the rink behind him…

…

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	6. Pressing the Issue

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_One Week Later…_

"This asshole is relentless," muttered Lauren as she read a report on her laptop, frowning, "How much longer is he going to press this issue?"

Annette sneered, "Till something turns up. Whether it's something the Capitals actually did or not he's gonna press this until he uncovers something dirty."

"Well interrogating him got us nowhere," muttered Lauren as she pounded out a few keys on her laptop and slammed the screen down in frustration, "He's dead-set on screwing this team over…but what for?"

"Well he got caught selling steroids to major league baseball teams so he knows that he's screwed," said Annette as she mulled over the facts of the case, "So his best bet is to try and garner as much attention as possible…distract the court by bringing to light the fact that several professional athletes use steroids. That would give more shock value to the case and turn the public attention toward the teams and players using the drugs rather than the fact that he actually sold them to begin with."

"Not to mention the media attention and money he'll end up receiving for this," muttered Lauren, "Perps like him always want attention…the more the better. And the more attention he gets, the more support he'll get, which eventually leads to cash later down the road."

"So either way he wins? Even if he's found guilty?" said Annette, looking very distraught.

Lauren's eyes narrowed as she contemplated the possible results, "Well…maybe…unless we can prove the Capitals' innocence."

"How do we do that? It's their word against his."

"Not unless we make them all take drug tests and strap them to lie detectors," muttered Lauren, grimacing at the very thought of all the paperwork and sleepless nights that would mean for her and Annette.

Annette's face was a mirror image of Lauren's. She detested paperwork almost as much as Lauren did. That was definitely not a part of the job she had signed up for when she joined the FBI two years ago.

Annette sighed as she relented, "Fine…if we don't have any other choice then I guess that's what we have to do."

Lauren glanced up at her partner with an amused smirk on her face, "Hey, it means we get to see our men some more."

Annette rolled her eyes, "You mean _you _get to see _your _man. Brooks Laich always looks at me like he's in pain or something. I seriously doubt that's a good sign."

Lauren laughed, "Do you know how many times I've caught him staring at you? He wouldn't look at you all the time if he wasn't attracted to you. Maybe he just broke up with his girlfriend or something?"

Annette raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, "Hmm, yeah maybe."

"I could always ask Mikey," suggested Lauren with a smile playing across her face. Both she and Mike Green had been texting and flirting excessively lately and seemed to slowly be growing closer together as time went on.

Annette rolled her eyes, "_Mikey_? Really Lauren?"

Lauren just shrugged, "What? I could ask him you know…just see what's going on with Brooks Laich."

Annette sighed as she contemplated the idea, "Okay…just please don't make it obvious, okay?"

Lauren rolled her eyes, "Oh please, I'm a trained government agent…I got this."

…

Brooks Laich put in his ear-buds and laced up his red Nike running shoes. He had been laying around the apartment for the past couple of days, trying to fully wrap his mind around the fact that Tracy was gone. In other words, it had been two days of hell. The days prior to that he had kept himself busy by running, working out and running back and forth to the Kettler Iceplex to answer questions by the two female federal agents.

Brooks closed his eyes and tried to block out the mental image of the blonde agent's beautiful blue eyes. His unexplainable crush on the young FBI agent had slowly been turning into almost an obsession. He couldn't get her out of his mind, hard as he tried. No matter what he did or where he went, the image of her kept appearing in his mind. It scared him as much as it thrilled him. In a sense it felt good to find a woman attractive and to develop a new crush, but the fact that this was so soon after his Tracy had died was gnawing at him. He felt insanely guilty for having feelings for another woman. It almost felt like he was cheating…even though Tracy was dead.

Brooks shook his head irritably, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind. He stood up and finished a few stretches before he cranked up the music on his iPod and took off on his first lap around the apartment complex…

…

Mike Green frowned as he glanced out the window and saw his best friend head out for another jog. Aside from the past couple of days, it seemed like all Brooks did was work out and run. Mike knew him well enough to know that this was a sort of coping mechanism for Brooks. Whenever he got stressed out or upset about anything, he took his frustration and emotional stress out by running.

But what bothered Mike the most was the fact that the only times he saw his best friend was a passing glance out the window as he ran around the complex or when they ran into each other at Kettler for their many interrogations. Besides that, the previously inseparable pair never saw one another. It bothered Mike a lot but he knew better than to pressure Brooks to hang out. He knew his best friend needed space…he needed time to heal on his own and to figure his life out again. Mike was just going to have to be patient until then.

Just then, Mike's phone buzzed. He reached over and picked it up off of his dresser and smiled when he saw the name on the top of the message:

_Hey Mikey…can we meet up at Kettler? I wanted to ask you something._

Mike smiled excitedly at that. He and Lauren had a talk regarding their potential future relationship. While the investigation was going on they would be unable to date because it would not look good for Lauren, being a lead investigator on the case, to be dating one of the accused players. However, once the case was over, Mike had promised to ask her out on a formal date. Until then the only time they could really talk was over text messages and when they were at Kettler together.

Mike smiled to himself as he put on his jacket and headed outside. He was going to have to be patient about this situation as well. But at least he could see Lauren and hang out with her a little bit…that was more than what he could say for his best friend…

…

"Hey," said Mike as he sauntered into the third floor 'interrogation room' of the Kettler Iceplex, "You wanted to see me?"

Lauren smiled as Mike gave her a quick hug, "Well I always want to see you…"

Mike chuckled a little at her flirtatious response, "Oh is that so?"

Lauren nodded, "Yes, but I did want to ask you something."

Mike inclined his head a little, "Yeah, what's that?"

"Have a seat," said Lauren as she nodded toward a chair on the other side of the desk.

"Ah, an interrogation question," said Mike as he sighed and took a seat.

Lauren smirked, "Yeah something like that…just a follow up question. And I would like to ask that this question and the answer to the question stay between us if that's okay?"

Mike raised an eyebrow at that, "Uh, yeah sure…what is it?"

"Well, it's about Brooks Laich…"

Mike visibly stiffened at that and took a defensive posture. Lauren noted the instant change in Mike's mood and knew she would have to tread carefully. It was obvious that the two teammates were close.

"What about him?" asked Mike, his voice tense.

"Well…I've just noticed that he seems a little distant," explained Lauren, "More so than what one would expect in a quieter, more serious hockey player. It's as if he's always looking off into the distance or he'll ask me to repeat questions or he'll seem to not even bother to pay attention. I was just wondering, since I know you guys are close, if you knew why he's acting like this? I'm not accusing him of anything…I just have to cover all my bases. Please don't take it as a personal attack against Laich."

Mike forced himself to relax. The woman was just doing her job…he couldn't overeat. He didn't want to screw things up between them this early on anyway. He sighed before he replied.

"Um, yeah Brooks has been to hell and back lately," began Mike as he searched for the right words to say, "His girlfriend, Tracy…was killed by a drunk driver a little over three weeks ago."

Lauren gasped in surprise and covered her mouth in shock, "Oh my gosh…I'm…I'm so sorry I asked."

Mike waved it off, "No, it's not your fault…you didn't know. Yeah he took it pretty hard. He and Tracy were really close. I think he was working up a way to ask her to marry him not too long before the accident. He hasn't been himself since it happened."

Lauren glanced away, feeling a rush of guilt as she contemplated what Mike had told her. That would explain the pained look in Brooks' eyes every time he looked at Annette. He was attracted to her partner, but he must feel horrible for feeling that way about another woman so soon after the accident. Everything made sense now.

"Okay, thank you Mike," said Lauren as she forced herself to gather her thoughts together, "I'm sorry to pry into your business…I know this hasn't been easy for anyone on your team. I'm glad you told me about Laich though. I'll keep that in mind during future interrogations."

"Future interrogations?" questioned Mike, "How many more will there be? Hasn't this guy given up already?"

Lauren sighed, "Sadly he's pretty insistent that he sold your team steroids. I don't think he's going to let up that easily. He'll keep pressing charges until we receive concrete evidence against his claims. In order to get that concrete evidence we're going to have to polygraph you and the rest of the team and get everyone to take some drug tests. We'll probably start that up tomorrow I think."

Mike stifled a groan, "Don't get me wrong, I love having you around here, but I just wish this thing would end already."

"What, you have a hot date or something?" teased Lauren suggestively.

Mike grinned broadly at that, "Why as a matter of fact, I do!"

Lauren laughed as she stood up, "Well thanks for stopping by…I really appreciate it."

"My pleasure," said Mike with a smile as he leaned forward and gave Lauren a light peck on the cheek. He smirked in amusement as he watched Lauren blush. He gave her a quick wink before he turned to leave the room.

Despite all the pain and the frustration the team had been going through lately and the loneliness he had felt since his best friend had suffered a tragic loss, Mike felt a sense of hope…a sense of warmth spread throughout his entire body. At least he had Lauren…at least someone was still there. He silently prayed that this whole investigation crap would end as soon as possible so he could take her out on a proper date…

…

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	7. Polygraphed

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The next morning, Lauren and Annette drove up to the Kettler Iceplex as the Washington Capitals finished up their morning skate. They headed up to the third floor of Kettler and began to set up the polygraph machines in the room that had been designated "the interrogation room" for the past couple weeks.

"They aren't going to like this," mumbled Annette as they set up the machines.

Lauren sighed, "I know…but we gotta get this thing settled so we can all move on with our lives."

"And so you and your man can go on a date?" added Annette as she gave Lauren a knowing look.

Lauren scowled at her and pretended to be annoyed as Coach Boudreau walked into the room.

"Are you ladies ready?" he asked, looking nervous.

Lauren nodded, "Yes, sir. We want to see the players first then we'll call up the coaching staff, equipment managers and medical staff. We'll take the two goalies to start with."

Boudreau nodded as he left the room to fetch the two players. Lauren and Annette exchanged a look that clearly said they were both not looking forward to this day. It was sure to be a long one for them and for the Washington Capitals. Besides being forced to undergo a polygraph test, the team would also have to submit to drug tests to see if any of the players had anything unusual in their systems. All in all this day was going to be very, very long…

…

"This is seriously getting old," grumbled Jason Chimera as he finished up his after-practice shower.

"Yeah it is," agreed Matt Hendricks with a sigh, "All I want to do is go home and take a nice, long nap."

"Come on guys; let's just do what they tell us to do," said Matt Bradley as he put on a shirt, "The sooner we do this the sooner it can be over with."

"Why don't they believe us?" asked a distraught-looking Mathieu Perreault, "They've asked us all so many times and we keep telling them we haven't done anything wrong. Why isn't that enough?"

Mike Green smiled a little at the young rookie's innocence, "Unfortunately it isn't enough. They need proof to show in court that we aren't lying. Otherwise this is all our word against whoever this moron is."

Perreault frowned, "Well I just hope this ends soon. All I wanna do is play hockey!"

Ovechkin smirked a little at the rookie, "It'll be okay, Mathieu. No worries."

Just then, the door opened and Brooks Laich walked into the locker room. The team grew quiet as they watched Brooks make his way over to a nearby bench and take a seat.

"Hey man," said Mike as he hurried over to his best friend, "How's it going?"

Brooks shrugged, not looking up at Mike, "It's going…but it'd be a lot better if this shit was over with."

Mike frowned as he sat down next to his friend, "It will be soon…this should be enough evidence to present to the court."

Brooks nodded curtly as he ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"You okay?" asked Mike, lowering his voice so the rest of the team couldn't hear.

"No…and I don't think I ever will be again, Mike," muttered Brooks, his blue eyes glazed over in pain.

Mike flinched a little at Brooks' response. He didn't like this side of his best friend at all. He could only pray that in time Brooks would get back to being the man he was before he lost Tracy.

Brooks saw Mike's reaction and sighed, "Look, Mike I just need some space to figure things out okay? This…this whole investigation crap isn't helping at all."

Mike nodded, looking somewhat dejected as he stood up, "Yeah…okay. I guess I'll see you around then," he muttered as he walked away.

Brooks mentally cursed himself when he saw the hurt look in Mike's eyes. He hadn't meant to hurt his best friend's feelings, but his nerves were on edge today. He didn't have the patience for this investigation and he sure as hell couldn't stand the thought of seeing the blonde agent today. Part of him really wanted to see her but the other part of him was terrified and dreaded it. There was just something so very wrong about the way he felt about a girl he barely knew and so soon after losing his girlfriend. The stress was building up inside of him and all he wanted to do was go out for another long run to work it all off.

Brooks glanced up and saw Nicklas Backstrom talking in hushed tones with Mike Green. Nicklas looked worried and Mike looked like someone had punched him in the stomach. Brooks growled low in his throat. All he wanted to do was get out of here before he hurt anyone else. He was worthless to anyone at this point in time.

Soon, Coach Boudreau came into the locker room and called up Varlamov and Neuvirth for the first round of polygraph tests. The rest of the team was to wait around Kettler for the next several hours until it was their turn to be interrogated.

By the time it was Brooks Laich's turn, it was already three p.m. He walked up to the third floor of Kettler and sauntered into the interrogation room with a sigh. The second he looked up though, his eyes met Annette's and he felt his heart skip a beat. The feeling nauseated him…he was disgusted with himself and had to tear his eyes away from the beautiful blonde. He wasn't sure he was going to be able to get through this…

…

Annette noted the sick look on Brooks' face as he walked into the room. She remembered what Lauren had told her last night. Lauren had talked with Mike yesterday and asked him about Brooks Laich. Mike told Lauren everything about Tracy and what had happened that night and how Brooks hadn't been the same ever since. The thought saddened Annette deeply. Seeing this terribly handsome man in such pain hurt her.

"Don't worry, this won't take long," she said as she gave him a kind smile.

Brooks grimaced again as he sat down, "Uh, yeah…sure."

Brooks watched as Annette began to attach the probes to his body. Everywhere she touched him he felt like there was an electric charge behind it. His throat went dry and he forced himself to swallow. He was sure that his face was beat red by now and he kept his head down to avoid eye-contact with Annette.

Lauren watched the whole exchange with mild amusement. Part of her was desperately sad for the young, attractive hockey player but the other part of her was greatly amused by the fact that the man couldn't look Annette in the eyes without losing his cool.

After Annette finished hooking Brooks up to the machine, Lauren tapped her on the shoulder and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Maybe I should ask the questions for him. Wouldn't want you to alter the results."

Annette blushed at that but nodded as she and Lauren switched seats. Brooks Laich nearly let out an audible sigh of relief when he realized that Lauren would be the one to ask the questions. He was convinced that if Annette had been the one talking to him he would have screwed up the machine so bad they'd think he was taking steroids by the bucket full. As Lauren prepared to ask him the first few questions to calibrate the machine, Brooks cast a quick glance over at Annette. She gave him a kind smile that made his heart skip a beat. Lauren smirked in amusement as she watched the machine react to Brooks' reaction. She reset the machine and began to interrogate Brooks Laich…

…

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	8. Explosion

_Three Months Later…_

"Finally!" exclaimed Annette with a relieved sigh.

"Took long enough," said Lauren, her voice irritable but the smile on her face gave away her excitement.

The courts had finally come through on a decision in the case. The Washington Capitals had been cleared from the charges against them. All the polygraph results had come in crystal clear and the drug tests were all negative. The tangible evidence was finally enough to bring a proper argument to court. The process of actually getting their case heard and decided upon was what had taken so long. The court system was never a very fast-paced one.

"Those poor boys can rest easy from now on," said Annette with a smile on her face, "And you can finally go out on that date you've been dying to go on."

Lauren smiled excitedly at that. She and Mike had grown close over the past three months and they were both dying to make this official. Now that the case was over and their records cleared, Lauren and Mike were free to officially start dating.

"And perhaps Brooks Laich will be ready to move on soon," suggested Lauren as she gave her best friend a knowing look, "It's been over four months now…maybe he's doing better. He seems to be anyway."

Annette smiled a little at that thought. The past couple of weeks, Brooks Laich did seem to be making improvement, at least in the sense that whenever he looked at Annette he didn't look like he was going to pass out or throw up.

"I don't know," muttered Annette, trying to be reasonable, "He seemed like he was pretty attached to that Tracy girl."

"True, but everyone's gotta move on at some point," said Lauren "And he's back to playing with the Capitals again so that's a good sign. His mind is at least back in the game for the most part."

Annette shrugged. Doubt still lingered about whether or not Brooks Laich was really okay enough to even consider dating again. Based on what Mike and Lauren had been telling her, Brooks hadn't been himself since the accident four months ago. Sure he'd been making progress, but he was still detached and forlorn. Mike had started to give up on any hope of them being the best friends they once were. Brooks just wasn't capable of keeping up any sort of emotional relationship. Annette wondered briefly if he ever would be again.

"Hey!" exclaimed Lauren, jolting Annette from her troubled thoughts, "We should go tell them! They'll be getting ready to practice at Kettler soon anyway!"

Annette beamed happily at that. She temporarily forgot about her misgivings and grabbed her keys. The two best friends ran out of their apartment and jumped into Annette's car, squealing like excited little girls the whole way to Kettler…

…

Mike walked into the Kettler Iceplex early that morning and made a bee-line for the locker room. Some of his teammates were already there getting dressed for the morning skate.

"Any word?" asked Mike as he walked in and glanced around at his teammates.

Perreault shook his head, frowning, "No…nothing."

Jason Arnott sighed, "Haven't heard anything yet."

Mike rolled his eyes, "Damn court system," he muttered irritably as he opened his bag and began to pull out his gear. He glanced over and saw Brooks Laich standing in front of his locker, strapping on some pads. Mike frowned as he watched his best friend getting dressed. They hadn't had a real conversation since before the accident four months ago. The only time they made contact with each other was during practice and the occasional greeting when they ran into each other at the apartment complex. Things were clearly strained between them and Mike didn't know what else to do.

Mike Knuble noticed the sad look in Mike Green's eyes as he glanced over at Brooks Laich. Knuble frowned as he watched Brooks Laich finish getting dressed and then put on his skates. Never once did the young center look up to say hello to Green or even acknowledge his presence. Knuble could clearly see the toll that this was putting on Green. The typically goofy, prankster defenseman had grown nearly as quiet and forlorn as his best friend over the past couple of months. The entire team had noticed the change but no one was willing to bring it up for fear of causing a fight or making the problem worse than it already was.

Mike Green glanced over and saw Knuble studying him. Knuble offered Green a sympathetic smile and Green forced a smile back. He shrugged as if to say, "What else could I possibly do?" and then slammed his locker shut.

Just then, Coach Boudreau walked into the locker room. The team seemed to visibly relax as the Coach interrupted the unspoken tension in the locker room.

"Hey guys, after practice stick around. The feds want to speak to us."

The team let out a collective groan. Although they had all grown to like Lauren and Annette, they were getting sick of the same questions and the same long practice days. The whole ordeal was getting old and they were all more than ready for it to be over with.

"Alright boys, suck it up," said Ovechkin as he rallied his team together, "Let's go have a good practice alright?"

The team mumbled their agreement as they skated unenthusiastically out onto the ice. Ovechkin exchanged a look with Arnott. The Capitals recent acquisition gave Ovechkin a sympathetic pat.

"It's alright, Captain," he said good-naturedly, "Not much else you can do about it…you're doing a great job."

Ovechkin sneered at that, "Yeah right…that's why Green and Laich aren't talking, the tension in this place is so bad you can feel it, and the team doesn't even act like they want to play anymore."

"None of which is your fault," argued Arnott, "Green and Laich are going to have to deal with their issues on their own. Laich is going to have to learn to move on with his life and Green is going to either have to accept that Laich isn't the same guy he used to be or just let him go. Either way, it's up to the two of them to end that tension. The team's exhausted from the questioning and the stress of the court proceedings. All of that will pass once this is over…don't stress over it. Let's just focus on what we do best: playing hockey. Okay?"

Ovechkin gave Arnott a grateful smile and nodded in agreement. The veteran hockey player was an essential addition to the Capitals' ranks. This is exactly what they needed…someone with wisdom and experience who could lead the team in ways that no one else could. Arnott was an invaluable asset to the team and Ovechkin greatly appreciated his advice, especially in recent weeks…

…

Mike Green raced down the open ice with the puck. He had managed move past two defensemen and saw the open net right in front of him. His eyes shone with excitement as he lifted his stick high, preparing to shoot the puck, when out of nowhere something slammed into his side. He cried out with surprise as he hit the ice hard and slid all the way over to the far boards. He grimaced as he rolled over to see who had hit him. His eyes grew round with surprise when he saw that it was Brooks Laich.

"Dude, what the hell was that?" he asked as he slowly pulled himself up off the ice.

Brooks shrugged, "It was a three on one drill…you didn't see me coming I guess."

"Oh, sorry I'll try and grow some eyes in the back of my head next time!" snapped Mike, "What's your deal man? I'm sick of this shit…it's getting old, Brooksy."

Brooks' blue eyes flashed dangerously, "Well when the love of your life dies let me know how you deal with it!"

"It's not my fault!" roared Mike as he turned to face his friend, "Don't take this shit out on me! It's been four damn months Brooks! How long is it gonna take you to realize that she's gone! And don't you dare take out your anger on me! I'm the only goddamned person on this planet that still has your back after all this shit!"

"Fuck off," growled Brooks as he advanced on Mike, "You have no idea what I've been through! Don't stand here and tell me how long it should take for me to move on! You have _never_ been through shit like this!"

"No but if I ever did I sure as hell wouldn't turn my back on my best friend!" yelled Mike, his eyes glistening with hurt as he glared at Brooks, "You're so damn selfish! Do you have any idea what life's been like for me since you went AWAL? I've lost my best friend! I don't even know you anymore! So don't stand there and act all self-righteous because you went through hell four months ago! I was always here for you! I was waiting for you to ask for my help…to be there for you…and what do you do? You ignore me for four goddamned months and then act like you don't understand why I'm pissed?"

"Just leave me alone, Mike," snarled Brooks, "You don't understand."

"No, you're right, I don't!" shouted Mike, clearly not satisfied by how this argument was about to end, "So instead of turning your back on me and skating off, how about you come over here and explain it to me? Stop running away from your damn issues, Brooks! I'm sick of it!"

In that moment something inside Brooks Laich snapped. The culmination of months of pain, hurt, loss and incessant interrogations and polygraph tests on top of his best friend coming down on him made him lose his usually calm, cool temper. Brooks whirled around and charged at Mike. Mike's eyes flew open in shock as Brooks swung at his head. Mike ducked and returned the punch with one of his own. Soon, the two friends were wrestling each other down on the ice, throwing punches left and right.

Meanwhile, while the yelling was going on, the rest of the team had watched in stunned silence. Ovechkin moved to go over and split them up but Arnott had held him back.

"Let them yell it out," he explained, "This is what's needed to happen for quite some time now."

But the second the two hit the ice, fists flying, all the Capitals moved in to separate them.

"Let him go, Mike!" growled Knuble as he and Chimera pried the infuriated defenseman off of Brooks Laich.

"Stop it!" shouted Hendricks as he grabbed Brooks' fist before it could slam into Mike's face, "Knock it off!"

"That's enough!" roared Ovechkin.

Instantly the entire rink grew eerily quiet as Ovechkin skated over, "Everyone get back to work…Brooks and Mike, go see doc…and stay the hell away from each other for the rest of practice."

Mike shot Brooks an accusing and hurt glare from his one good eye. The other eye was swollen shut from where Brooks had landed a good punch. Brooks' lip was cut and bleeding and it looked like he had a bruise forming on one cheek bone.

"I cannot believe that just happened," muttered Semyon Varlamov, in shock.

"I guess they lost their cool," said Jay Beagle, also looking stunned, "But I never thought I'd see the two of them ever come to blows over anything."

Nicklas Backstrom frowned as he skated over to Beagle and Varlamov, "This is why all this shit with the feds needs to end soon…we gotta get back to playing hockey the way we used to. It'll be good for our stats and for the team."

Varlamov nodded in agreement, "The sooner the better…"

…

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	9. Pulling Away

Lauren and Annette walked into the Kettler Iceplex, their faces lit up with excitement as they anticipated the team's reaction to the good news that the case was finally over. The second they walked inside the Iceplex, they saw an infuriated-looking Coach Boudreau storm out of the locker room.

"Coach Boudreau?" asked Lauren, her eyes wide with surprise, "What's going on?"

"You wanna know what's going on?" roared Boudreau, "Then go up to the damn interrogation room and interrogate the two morons that are causing issues with my damn team!"

Lauren and Annette exchanged wide-eyed, shocked looks.

"What the hell was that all about?" muttered Annette as she raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I have no idea," mumbled Lauren, "But we better get to the third floor and see what's going on."

The two agents walked up the flight of stairs to the third floor and walked into the interrogation room. They both stopped short when they saw Mike Green and Brooks Laich in the room. Both players were standing on the far opposite sides of the room from one another and they both looked pretty banged up. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had gone down during practice.

"What…the…hell?" asked Lauren as she shot Mike an accusing and questioning look.

Mike glanced away sharply, his jaw clenching in anger. Brooks just sneered openly at Mike's reaction and turned away.

"Well this should be fun," said Annette with a sigh, "Alright, both of you…take a seat."

Mike and Brooks exchanged glares before they moved to obey Annette's order. They sat down in the two chairs on one side of the desk, each of them scooting the chairs as far apart as they could. Lauren and Annette both rolled their eyes at them as they sat down on the other side of the desk.

"Okay…what the hell happened?" asked Lauren, still giving Mike an incredulous look. She remembered Mike telling her that things hadn't been right between him and Brooks Laich for quite some time now but she never thought that it would amount to this. Besides that, Mike of all people should understand why Brooks wasn't being himself lately. This whole thing was just stupid and immature and it pissed Lauren off.

"Well don't everyone speak at once," said Annette in an annoyed tone as both players refused to respond.

"Why don't you ask _him_," growled Mike as he cast a glare at Brooks over his shoulder, "This is his fault."

"Bullshit!" snapped Brooks, "You went out there with a chip on your shoulder and decided to take it out on me!"

"Oh, that's why you slammed into me in the middle of a _drill_?" argued Mike, "Please…you're the one with the issues!"

"Shut up!" snapped Lauren, "Everyone just shut up! Do you even hear yourselves right now? Look at you two…you both look ridiculous. Mike can't see out of his left eye, Brooks' face is so swollen it looks disfigured and for what? Because you two can't sit down and talk? Because you'd rather kill each other out on the ice than talk about your problems?"

Mike and Brooks grew quiet.

"Look, guys," said Annette, attempting to play the good-cop after Lauren's explosion, "This whole thing can be fixed fairly easily. Tell us what's going on and we'll see if we can't talk it out, okay? Let's start with Mike…Mike, tell us what's going on."

"Brooks hasn't had a decent conversation with me in over four months," said Mike, his eyes glistening with hurt as the anger faded away, "I get that he lost his girlfriend and that he's been through hell, but shouldn't you turn to your best friend for help when shit hits the fan? But no, he's blown me off and doesn't even act like I exist. Then he treats me like shit during practice and slams into me during a drill. I guess I just lost it. It sucks having your best friend turn his back on you…especially when you know he needs help. It just…sucks."

Mike glanced away sharply as he tried to control the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. He blinked the extra moisture from his eyes and sniffed a little. Brooks seemed to be affected by the emotion in Mike's voice. He looked down at the desk and grew very still for a moment.

"Okay, good," said Annette as she turned to Brooks, "Now, Brooks…what's going on with you?"

Lauren noted the curious tone in Annette's voice. She knew Annette had alternate reasons for asking that question to Brooks. She couldn't help but smirk a little in amusement, despite the current situation they were all in.

Brooks sighed before he replied, "Well…I uh, I haven't been dealing with Tracy's death well, I guess," he muttered, wincing when he said Tracy's name, "I guess I've just sorta become an introvert. It's how I deal with these kinds of things. I don't know any other way…except to just kind of disappear for awhile until the pain is gone. But that's kind of hard to do when you play for an NHL team…especially one under investigation by the feds, no offense."

"Okay…but why did this cause you to snap at Mike on the ice today?" pressed Lauren, her eyes glinting with annoyance. Annette smirked at her friend's defensive tone. Lauren was clearly upset to learn that Brooks was the one who started the fight itself.

Brooks glanced away, "Well I didn't mean to hit him that hard during the drill…I wasn't really paying attention. I guess my mind wasn't in it. I didn't control the hit like I should have. Then we started yelling and I guess I just got all worked up and took it out on him."

"Alright, so basically Brooks has been through hell and he deals with his pain by withdrawing from everyone," said Annette as she put all the pieces together, "And Mike is a very sociable, outward person who reaches out whenever something goes wrong. Brooks wanting to withdraw and Mike wanting to reach out caused friction because you both had different views of how to deal with this. So, Mike, I think it would be best if you give Brooks his space until he's able to deal with his issues and Brooks, when you're ready to get back to living your life the way you used to, reach out to Mike and let him know, okay?"

Mike didn't look pleased with Annette's decision, "Well how long will it be?" he asked, a note of pain and sadness in his voice, "I haven't hung out with my best friend in over four months…how long do I have to wait to get him back?"

Lauren winced at the pain in Mike's voice. It was suddenly very clear to the two agents that Brooks wasn't the only one suffering Tracy's loss.

Annette frowned sadly, "That'll be up to Brooks, Mike."

Mike glanced over his shoulder at Brooks and gave him a despairing look. Brooks just shook his head and looked away. Mike sighed sadly and put his head in his hands.

Lauren and Annette gave each other sad and helpless looks. There was nothing they could do to help the two men they cared about…nothing at all.

"Hey," said Lauren after a moment, "I know things aren't easy right now, but we have some news that might make both of your lives a little easier. You guys okay to come with us to the locker room for the announcement?"

Mike looked up and gave Lauren a sad, but curious look, "Um…yeah, sure."

Brooks just nodded and stood up. He left the room abruptly and made a bee-line for the locker room. Mike watched him leave, his face a mask of misery.

"I'm sorry, Mike," said Lauren as she gave him a hug.

"I just feel like shit," muttered Mike, "I shouldn't have hit him…I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me."

"I think this is what you both needed though," said Lauren as she lead Mike and Annette out of the room, "You needed to talk…even if that meant you had to beat the shit out of each other beforehand…you both needed to hear each other out."

"What if things never go back to the way they were though?" asked Mike, his eyes wide with despair, "What if he's never the same again?"

Lauren frowned at that, "I don't know Mike," she said quietly, "I don't know…"

…

The rest of the team grew quiet as Brooks Laich re-entered the locker room, followed by Mike, Lauren and Annette.

Backstrom walked over to Mike and patted him on the back, "You alright?" he muttered in his friend's ear.

Mike nodded, "Yeah…I'll be okay."

Nicklas gave his friend a sympathetic smile and moved over to give him room to sit down on the bench. Brooks stood in the far corner against the lockers, avoiding everyone's inquiring looks.

"Okay guys!" said Lauren excitedly, "We have some wonderful news for all of you!"

"The interrogations are over!" said Annette, smiling happily.

Instantly the entire locker room erupted with cheers and excited high-fives.

"And they're over because we won! The Court determined you are all innocent based on the conclusive evidence from the drug tests and the polygraph results," explained Lauren, "So you can all rest easy tonight! It's over!"

The team whooped and hollered with joy at the news. Jason Chimera raced over and turned on the Capitals traditional victory song on the iHome: Beat dat Beat Up. Instantly several of the guys started dancing and fist-pumping. Lauren and Annette watched the scene in amusement.

The only two players who were not joining in on the celebration were Mike Green and Brooks Laich. Brooks stayed huddled in the far corner, glancing around like he was looking for the quickest exit. Mike forced himself to smile as Backstrom clapped him on the back in excitement, but the look in his eyes clearly showed he was still very upset by the morning's earlier event. Despite the victory the team had in their court battle, they had a few more internal battles to work out before things could fully be back to normal again…

…

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	10. Fade to Black

Brooks Laich felt like shit. There was really no other way to put it. He went home immediately after the disastrous morning skate and locked himself in the apartment. He collapsed on his bed and curled up into a ball. His stomach rolled with unease as he shut his eyes tight against the light that filtered in through his blinds. He couldn't get the image of Mike's sad, brown eyes gazing at him in confusion and hurt. He was hurting his best friend…but he didn't know what else to do. This was how he dealt with his problems: on his own. There was nothing that Mike could do to change what had happened to Tracy…no one could bring her back.

Brooks opened his eyes a little and reached over to the little nightstand next to his bed. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a framed photograph. He gazed at the picture for a few seconds before he let it clatter to the floor. The glass shattered and the photo of himself and Tracy, both smiling and laughing happily, slid out of the broken frame. Brooks curled up into a tight ball on his bed as he felt the sobs begin to ripple through his body…

…

"I'm so lost," muttered Mike as he paced back and forth in Lauren and Annette's apartment, "I don't know what else to do…I'm such a terrible friend."

Lauren frowned at that as she reached out and grabbed Mike's arm. He stopped pacing for a moment and looked into her eyes as she spoke.

"No you aren't," said Lauren as she ran her hand through Mike's dark, tousled hair, "You're just trying to help someone you care about, but Brooks needs his space. He obviously wants to deal with this on his own."

"But he won't, that's the thing," protested Mike as he commenced his pacing, "Brooks never actually deals with his problems. The one time he and Tracy broke up he did this same thing. We didn't talk for weeks. Hell we didn't talk until they got back together and I'm pretty sure if they hadn't gotten back together we still wouldn't be talking. I don't think Brooks is going to get over this…not on his own anyway. He may think that's what he needs…time and space…but I know him better than that. He needs help."

"You can't help someone if they don't want it, Mike," said Lauren sadly, "I hate seeing your best friend like this too but there's not a whole lot we can do if he doesn't want the help."

Mike looked devastated. He shook his head sadly and leaned up against the counter in the small kitchen. Lauren walked over to Mike and put a comforting arm around him. Mike sighed as he pulled her in and wrapped her up in a hug. He rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes.

"I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here," he murmured, "I think you're the only one keeping me sane."

Lauren smiled at that, "I'll be here whenever you need me…I promise."

Mike seemed to relax a little at that as he and Lauren stood in the apartment, both of them wracking their brains in an effort to figure out what in the world they could do to help Brooks Laich…

…

"Where is he?" asked Arnott as he skated over to Alexander Ovechkin the next morning.

Ovechkin noted the nervous look in Arnott's eyes and frowned, "I don't know…no one's heard from him."

"Did you ask Green?"

Ovechkin's frown deepened at that, "I don't think Mike would be the one to ask at the moment. They aren't speaking to each other at all now."

Arnott shook his head sadly, "That's a shame…they had such a tight bond. I hate it when life ruins relationships."

"Life doesn't ruin them," argued Nicklas Backstrom as he skated by, "People's actions ruin them. Brooks is choosing to deal with his issues in a way that's hurting his best friend…sounds like Brooks is the one with the problem to me."

Nicklas didn't wait for a response from his captain or the veteran. He skated over to where Mike Green was absently shooting pucks at an empty net and patted his friend in the shoulder. Mike turned and gave Nicklas a sad smile. Ovechkin and Arnott watched as Nicklas tried to distract Mike from his thoughts and got him to run a few drills with him.

"Nicky makes a good alternate captain," observed Arnott, "He's very attuned to his teammates…he's a good kid."

Ovechkin nodded in agreement, "Yeah he is," he said as he watched the two players practicing a few one on one drills. Before long, Nicklas had Mike laughing and goofing off like he used to. Nicklas Backstrom was clearly trying to fill the void that Brooks had created when he stopped talking to Mike. Ovechkin frowned as he thought about Brooks Laich…where in the world was he? Practice started over half an hour ago and the star center had yet to even enter the locker room…

…

Brooks Laich stared at the revolver on his nightstand. He had pulled it out late last night and sat it there, contemplating his options. He hadn't even bothered to pick up the broken picture frame or the glass that had shattered all over his floor. He felt numb…unable to function. He wasn't even thinking clearly. He glanced over at the clock and realized he was already late for practice. It wouldn't be long before the team started asking questions. Someone would probably be sent out to see if he was okay. That gave him a very short window of time to act if he so chose to act.

He picked up the revolver and began to load it. He spun the chamber and cocked it. He turned it over in his hands a few times, thinking things through before he did anything. He thought about Tracy and how great life had been when she was around…he thought about the night he got the phone call and his world shattered around him…he thought about the pain he had put Mike Green through the past several weeks…he thought about the worried looks on the faces of his teammates…the whispers in the locker room…the grind of practicing day after day, working through the seemingly endless pain…and he began to think about whether or not it was worth continuing to live…

_Life it seems will fade away__  
__Drifting further every day__  
__Getting lost within myself__  
__Nothing matters, no one else___

_I have lost the will to live__  
__Simply nothing more to give__  
__There is nothing more for me__  
__Need the end to set me free___

_Things not what they used to be__  
__Missing one inside of me__  
__Deathly lost, this can't be real__  
__Cannot stand this hell I feel___

_Emptiness is filling me__  
__To the point of agony__  
__Growing darkness taking dawn__  
__I was me but now he's gone___

_No one but me can save myself__  
__But it's too late__  
__Now I can't think__  
__Think why I should even try…_

…

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	11. Saving Brooks

"It's been two hours," said Mike Green as he skated anxiously around the rink, "Where the hell is he?"

Nicklas Backstrom frowned, "I don't know…he never called in sick or anything. I asked Ovie…he hasn't heard anything and neither has Coach."

"Something's not right…I can feel it," said Mike as she slapped his stick against the boards in frustration, "And it's all my fault. I should have just walked away and let him be…"

"No, you tried to do the right thing," argued Nicklas, "You tried to help your friend…there's nothing wrong with that. Brooks needs help…we all know that, but he won't make an effort to get help. He's the one with the issues, you're just being a good friend."

"Everyone keeps telling me that but it doesn't change anything," grumbled Mike, looking helpless.

Nicklas frowned as he put an arm around his friend's shoulders and gave him a quick hug, "I'm sorry Mike…I wish I knew what else to do."

"Yeah…me too, Nicky…me too…"

…

"Still no word from Brooksy?" asked Jason Arnott as the team filed back into the locker room after a three hour practice. They didn't have a game that night so Coach Boudreau ordered an extra-long practice to make sure the guys stayed in shape for their game the next night.

"Nothing," muttered Ovechkin, his eyes dark with worry, "Boudreau hasn't heard a word, he never called in…no one knows anything."

"Maybe he just needed to take some time off?" suggested John Carlson, trying to sound hopeful.

"Then why not call in?" argued Chimera, "It doesn't make sense."

Mike quickly ripped off his pads and changed his clothes. His feverish haste surprised his teammates.

"Someone's in a hurry," said Erskine, raising an eyebrow as he watched Mike throw on a fresh shirt and pants.

"I gotta check on Brooksy," said Mike, quietly, "Something isn't right. He wouldn't just skip practice…the man practices more than any of us combined. Something's wrong."

Mike grabbed his bag and made a bee-line for the door. Ovechkin stuck his arm out, blocking Mike's hasty exit. Mike gave his captain a confused look.

"Be careful," said Ovechkin in a hushed tone, "If you need anything, call, okay?"

Mike nodded, his heart hammering in his chest as he noted the fearful look in Ovechkin's eyes. What was his captain thinking? What made him look so rattled? This only made Mike want to get out of Kettler even faster. He nodded and pushed his way past his other teammates and ran out of Kettler and into the parking garage…

…

"Mike just texted me," said Lauren in a low, nervous voice.

Annette looked up from her book about serial killers and gave Lauren a confused look.

"Yeah? What's going on?"

"He…he's going to go check on Brooks," said Lauren, swallowing nervously, "Apparently he never showed up to practice and no one has heard anything from him."

Annette's eyes grew round with surprise, "But that man never misses practice."

"I know…that's why Mike's so rattled…I'm kind of scared, Annette. The man's been really messed up for quite awhile now."

"You don't think he'd…" said Annette, unable to finish her question.

Lauren's jaw clenched, "Oh God I hope not," she muttered, "Come on…we better drive over there…in case Mike needs some help."

Annette nodded numbly. Her face had gone pale as she thought through all of the things that could have happened to Brooks Laich…and none of them were good…

…

Mike couldn't remember ever driving that fast in his white Lamborghini. He reached the apartment complex in record time and raced up the stairs to the floor he and Brooks lived on. He ran down the hallway and banged on Brooks' door.

"Brooksy! Brooksy! It's Mike!" he yelled, "Look, I know we aren't on good terms right now but…just please open the door! Or yell, or something!"

A few seconds went by and no one answered. Mike felt cold sweat began to bead up on his forehead. He had checked the parking lot on his way in…Brooks' car was here. He had to be in the apartment.

"Brooks!" shouted Mike, his voice beginning to sound desperate, "Brooksy! I swear to God man, if you don't open this damn door I will break it down!"

A few more seconds went by. Mike couldn't take it any longer. He took a couple steps back and then kicked the door has hard as he could. He heard the door frame groan against the impact and a few shards of splinters fell from the door. He grunted as he struck the door again and heard a sharp crack. One more kick and the door frame broke. Mike pushed the door aside as he ran into the room. He raced into Brooks' bedroom and threw open the door.

"Oh…my…god," stammered Mike.

Brooks Laich was curled up in the far corner of the room with his head between his knees…and a revolver at his feet. Mike saw a pile of bullets sitting next to the gun and felt the blood drain from his face. His best friend was contemplating suicide.

"Brooksy!" choked Mike as he scrambled over the bed and over to where Brooks was curled up in the corner, "Brooksy…"

Brooks Laich looked up, his eyes dull with grief and his face stained with tears. Mike felt his heart break as he realized the depth of his best friend's pain.

"Oh god…Brooks," said Mike as he started to get choked up. He grabbed Brooks head with his hands and forced Brooks to look him in the eyes, "Brooksy…don't do this…don't you _dare_ do this to me!"

Mike broke down and started crying as he rested his forehead against his best friend's, "Please, Brooksy…please don't do this."

Brooks just sobbed with Mike. His heart was shattered…he didn't know what else to do. He felt so lost and alone.

Meanwhile, Lauren and Annette pulled into the apartment complex.

"There's Mike's car," said Lauren as she and Annette jumped out and raced for the stairs.

The second they entered the hallway, they saw the broken door and the splinters that littered the area of the hall between Brooks' and Mike's apartments. Lauren and Annette exchanged terrified looks as they raced towards the room, each of them with one hand on their guns, just in case. The second they entered Brooks' apartment they both froze in shock. They saw the gun and the bullets next to Brooks' feet, and Mike Green as he sobbed, holding on to his best friend in desperation.

Lauren ran her hand through her hair and shook her head in disbelief. She and Annette exchanged a shocked glance. What in the world would have happened if Mike hadn't followed his instincts and went to find Brooks? The answer to that question was too terrifying for either of them to answer, even in their own minds.

After a few moments, Mike gathered himself together and pulled away from Brooks. He grabbed the gun and stuffed the bullets in his pocket.

"Brooksy, you need help," he said, choking on his own tears, "Real help…the kind that I or anyone else for that matter can't give to you. You need to see a shrink."

Brooks just stared down at the floor for a long moment before he nodded slowly, "Yeah…I'm…I'm so screwed up Mike…oh my god…I don't know…what to do…"

Mike felt his heart break for his best friend. It was killing him to see him this broken. Brooks had always been the more rational, strong-willed of the two. Mike acted more on his emotions and tended to be more of a kid…Brooks was like the older, wiser brother he never had. And now it was Mike's turn to take the leadership role. He had to…his friend's life was at stake.

"Let us help you," said Lauren after a moment, "We'll find you a good psychologist who can help you work through this."

"We'll see you through this, Brooks," added Annette, "We won't rest until you're okay again."

Brooks looked up at the sound of Annette's voice. He felt his heart skip a beat when he made eye contact with the gorgeous blonde. That little twinge of feeling started to pull him out of his numbed-up state. He cleared his throat and nodded slowly.

"Okay…I'll…I'll give it a try," he said hoarsely.

Mike Green smiled through his tears as he reached out and hugged his best friend. He felt elated when Brooks hugged him back.

"I'm sorry, buddy," mumbled Brooks, "I'm so sorry."

Mike felt the tears start flowing down his face again, "Don't…don't worry about that now. Let's just get you better, okay?"

Brooks nodded and forced a smile as Mike helped him up onto his feet. The two friends embraced again and Mike felt a glimmer of hope that his best friend might not be completely lost to him after all. Brooks looked over Mike's shoulder and made eye-contact with Annette again. She was smiling as she wiped a tear from her eye…and Brooks felt his heart beat quicken at the sight…

…

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	12. Welcome Back

_Four Weeks Later…_

Mike Green was all smiles in the locker room early that morning. The rest of the team seemed to be in good spirits as well. Nicklas Backstrom walked over and patted Mike on the back.

"Today's a good day," he said, smiling broadly.

Mike grinned from ear to ear, "Yeah it is…I've waited a long time for this."

Ovechkin smiled as he watched his teammates getting geared up for practice. Today was the day that Brooks Laich returned to the team. He had taken the past several weeks off to focus on his treatment and finally felt ready to come back. He hadn't stopped working out and practicing on his own, but he, and his psychologist, felt that it would be best if he stayed away from the team for a few weeks until he was able to work through his emotional trauma.

"I don't know if I've ever seen a bromance quite as strong as that one," said Alex Semin with a smirk on his face, "Hell they might even have you and Nicky beat, Alex."

Ovechkin threw a fake punch to his friend's face. Semin ducked away, laughing as he made his way out of the locker room and onto the ice.

"Alright, alright," said Ovechkin as he rolled his eyes and tried to keep a straight face, "All you jokesters, hit the ice, we've got work to do! Our most practiced player is comin' back today and you don't want him to show you all up!"

The team cheered as they turned to head out onto the ice. Mike Green couldn't wipe the excited grin off of his face as he leapt out onto the ice. He was getting ready to see his best friend for the first time in over a month…and he couldn't wait…

…

Lauren and Annette tried to suppress their excitement as they sat in the stands. They couldn't wait to see Brooks Laich re-united with his team, and more importantly, his best friend. In the past month, Lauren and Mike had made their relationship official and were now boyfriend and girlfriend. They had grown closer since that terrible day when they found Brooks Laich in his apartment with the revolver. They had all been through so much together and Lauren and Annette couldn't wait to see everything go back to the way it used to be.

"Look at Mike," breathed Lauren, beaming with happiness, "He can't stop smiling! I don't think I've ever seen him this happy."

Annette nodded in agreement, "Yeah I can't wait to see the reunion."

Lauren rolled her eyes, "No, you can't wait to see Brooks Laich."

Annette blushed at that, "Well…yeah that too."

Lauren smirked as she nudged her friend and partner playfully. She couldn't wait for Annette and Brooks to see each other again. After all the therapy Brooks had been through, Lauren silently prayed and hoped that he had been able to let go of Tracy. She knew that he and Annette would be perfect together…and neither of them had made it a secret that they liked each other. Lauren knew it was only a matter of time before things started to happen between them...

…

Mike Green kept casting anxious glances over at the locker room door. Jason Arnott skated up next to Mike and tapped him on the leg with his stick.

"Hey, take it easy," he said in a calming tone, "He'll get here…give him a little time."

Mike frowned as he glanced over at the locker room again. He had a flashback to the last time Brooks didn't show up for practice on time and shuddered at the memory.

"It won't be like that," said Arnott, as if he could read Mike's mind, "He's a lot better now…things are going to be different."

Mike sighed, "I just want them to be the way they used to be. I don't want all of this to change our friendship."

Jason smiled, "Mike, I don't think anything would destroy the friendship you and Brooksy have. If anything what you guys went through will probably make it even stronger than before."

Mike gave Jason Arnott a grateful smile, "Thanks, Arnott."

"Anytime, Greenie," said Jason as he snatched up a puck with his stick, "Now how bout we get to work while we wait for Laich to get here?"

Mike nodded and began to work on some one on one drills with Arnott. After a few drills, they heard someone yell from the other side of the rink. Mike looked over and saw that the person yelling was Alex Ovechkin. He had the old, goofy grin on his face and was yelling something in his thick, Russian accent. Mike smirked a little at Alex's vain attempt to get his teammates' attention. Whenever the young captain got excited his thick Russian accent came out, making it near to impossible to understand a word that he said.

Just then, a tall figure jumped out onto the ice. Instantly everyone knew why Alex had gotten so worked up…Brooks Laich had arrived.

Mike Green wasted no time. He turned quickly and skated down the ice faster than he ever had in his life. Brooks never saw him coming. All he felt was something slam into his side and knock the wind out of him. The two players tumbled to the ice in a heap, much to the rest of the team's amusement. Brooks Laich laughed when he realized it was Mike. His best friend had his arms wrapped around him and was basically smothering him in his excitement.

"Good to see you too, buddy," choked Brooks as he struggled to regain his breath.

Mike finally got off of Brooks long enough for his friend to regain his footing and then embraced him again. Brooks laughed as he hugged Mike.

"Good to know I was missed," he laughed.

"You have no idea," said Mike as he finally pulled away. He gazed up at his best friend and was elated to see that the old glimmer had returned to Brooks' eyes. He was smiling and laughing and looked more like himself than he had in a very long time.

"Move over! Let the rest of us say hi!" said Eric Fehr with a smirk as he playfully pushed Mike Green aside to give Brooks a hug.

Soon, the entire team had gathered together in one massive group hug as they welcomed Brooks Laich back to the team.

Finally, as the guys broke up the massive group hug, Mike Green made his way back over to Brooks.

"So I'm not the only one who's excited to see you," said Mike as he gave Brooks a knowing look.

Brooks Laich gave Mike a confused look. Mike turned and nodded up at the stands where Lauren and Annette were sitting, watching the reunion on the ice. Brooks followed Mike's gaze and froze in surprise when he saw Annette. They made eye contact and Brooks felt his heart stir. He remembered talking to his psychologist about Annette. She had suggested that when he felt ready, when it didn't hurt so much anymore, that he should try talking to her…maybe even ask her on a date. At the time Brooks had been petrified by his psychologist's suggestion, but this time, as he made eye-contact with Annette, he felt no pain or fear…just curiosity and a feeling of warmth that spread throughout his entire body. Maybe his psychologist was right…maybe he should try talking to Annette…

Mike noticed the look in Brooks' eyes and nearly jumped up and down with glee. Instead of looking nauseated or scared, he looked interested and curious. This was definitely a sign that Brooks had made significant progress in the past few weeks. Maybe…just maybe…Brooks would be able to move on in that area of life soon…

…

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	13. Making Progress

_One Day Later…_

The Capitals had just defeated their arch rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins four to one on their home ice. The team was ecstatic as they celebrated their victory in the locker room, dancing to the beat of their victory song: Beat Dat Beat Up. Brooks Laich had gotten two of the four goals and Mike Green and Ovechkin made up the other two goals for the Caps.

"Freakin' right!" shouted Hendricks as he danced around the locker room, "Suck it Pens!" he shouted as he made a lewd gesture. The team roared with laughter at Hendricks' antics as they changed out of their hockey gear.

"Party at the Green Turtle?" suggested Ovechkin as the team hit the showers.

"Hell yeah!" shouted Chimera as several other players shouted their agreement.

"Dude, we should invite Lauren and Annette to join us," said Mike as he nudged Brooks excitedly.

Brooks smiled at that and nodded, "Yeah, why not? Although I can't promise the rest of the team will make a good impression on them…you know half of these guys are gonna be dead drunk by the end of the night."

Mike laughed, "Oh these girls aren't typical girls…they're federal agents. I think they can handle it."

Brooks smirked, "Yeah that's true…yeah go ahead and invite them. That should be fun."

Mike smiled excitedly at that. Brooks really was acting like his old self again. Mike had almost forgotten how chill his best friend used to be. It was nice having these glimpses back into the old Brooksy. Maybe things would get back to normal soon…

…

Lauren nearly jumped up and down when she got Mike's text.

"What? What is it?" asked Annette as she tried to calm her overly-excited friend down.

"Mike and Brooks want us to come to the after party at the Green Turtle!" shouted Lauren as she grabbed Annette's hand and nearly dragged her out of the stands, "Come on! We gotta save tables!"

Annette's eyes were wide with surprise, "Wait…what? Brooks wants _me _there? Are you sure?"

"According to Mike's text he does! Now come on!"

Annette couldn't hide her excitement at that. She smiled happily as she raced up the stairs with Lauren and headed down the street toward the Green Turtle…

…

The Capitals filtered into the Green Turtle about twenty minutes after Lauren and Annette got there. They had several tables and the entire bar saved for the boys as they stormed the Green Turtle. Lauren and Annette started a chant of C-A-P-S CAPS CAPS CAPS and laughed as the entire bar joined in with them.

Mike made a bee-line for Lauren and wrapped her up in a hug. He kissed her openly in front of his friends as he held her. The team applauded his performance and patted him on the back while Lauren blushed furiously and pretended to scold Mike.

Annette was too busy laughing at the scene to realize that Brooks Laich had walked over to her. She nearly fell off of her bar stool when she turned and saw him standing there.

"Hey there," he said, flashing her one of those classic Brooks Laich smiles, "How'd you like the game?"

Annette forced herself to stay calm and not flip out. It was hard not to with this handsome man standing so close to her and giving her that dazzling smile.

"It was…amazing," she stammered out, "You did a great job. Especially that last goal. That was amazing!"

Brooks laughed and Annette felt her heart melt at the sound of it, "Well, I have to give credit where credit is due…Ovechkin set me up pretty nicely for that one."

"Well if you hadn't been in that position in front of the net that puck would have never made it in," countered Annette, "It was a great shot."

"Well I'm glad you think so," said Brooks, "Is it okay if I sit with you?"

Annette nearly laughed out loud at the question. Hell yeah it was okay!

"Yeah, sure!" she said happily, hoping she didn't sound as overly excited as she thought she did.

Brooks smiled happily at her response and settled down on the bar stool next to her and ordered them both a beer. Annette was impressed…he was already buying her first drink of the night…very chivalrous.

"I think they're hitting it off well," said Mike as he pulled Lauren onto his lap.

"It looks good, doesn't it?" replied Lauren, smiling excitedly as she watched Brooks and her best friend interact at the bar, "He bought her that beer too…good move. She'll like that."

Mike laughed, "By the way she's looking at him I'm pretty sure anything he does will be considered 'good' in her book."

Lauren smirked, "Good point…look at the way he's looking at her though too. I can't believe it…just over a month ago that man looked like he was going to barf every time he was anywhere near her. That therapy is really working!"

"Thank God," said Green with a sigh, "I missed this Brooksy…this is the best friend I remember."

Lauren smiled as she turned her head to look at her boyfriend, "Well I'm glad you guys are okay again…I know how much it hurt you to see him like that. You did good by him, Mike. He's lucky to have you for a friend."

Mike smiled, "Not as luck as I am to have you for a girlfriend…I don't know what I would have done without you during those months."

"I'm always here for you, Mike…always," promised Lauren as she gave him a light peck on the lips.

"Wow," said Nicklas Backstrom as he walked over to Mike and Lauren and took a seat next to them, "Brooksy is getting his flirt on! Nice!"

Lauren and Mike laughed at Nicky as the young forward watched the two lovebirds at the bar. Things were finally starting to look up for the Washington Capitals and their star players. Ovechkin was busy at the other end of the bar chatting it up with a pretty blonde, much to the rest of the team's amusement, and the rest of the guys were busy dancing and acting ridiculous as they ordered more drinks.

"It's good to see them all smiling again," said Nicklas as he looked over his shoulder and watched Hendricks, Fehr, Carlson, Perreault, and Semin as they danced and drank their beer, "It's been awhile since the team's been this excited."

"This is definitely the break everyone's needed," agreed Mike, "With the investigation over and Brooks getting better, things are looking up again."

"It's about time," said Lauren as she reached for her drink, "We all deserve a little happiness right about now…"

…

Annette was on cloud nine. She and Brooks Laich had been talking for over an hour. They talked about everything and anything and it felt so right…so natural that Annette found herself relaxing rather than stressing out.

"I'm glad to see things are going well for you," said Annette after a moment, "It's good to see you smile."

Brooks nodded, "Yeah things are getting a lot easier. Therapy is working…although I'd had my doubts, it's actually really effective. My psychologist has been forcing me to think things through and to go through the pain rather than go around it. She's teaching me to let go of the past too. Part of my heart will always love Tracy but she's gone now…I have to accept that and move on with my life. I can't keep living for someone who isn't with me anymore. It's time for me to start living my life again…it's what Tracy would have wanted me to do anyway."

Annette nodded as she sipped on her beer, "I couldn't agree more, Brooks. I'm very proud of you. You've made so much progress."

Brooks smiled, "Well my best friend knocked some sense into me I think. That day…the day you guys found me…and the look in his eyes just kinda shocked me back into reality. I don't think I've ever seen Mike look that terrified or upset before in my life. It really got to me. And…you really got to me too."

Annette jumped in surprise at that and gave Brooks a questioning look, "Me? How?"

"Well," began Brooks as she shifted nervously on the bar stool, "I gotta be honest with you…that first day when you and Lauren came to investigate the case against us…I was very attracted to you. And…it bothered me because it was so soon after Tracy had died. I felt like I was doing something wrong by being that attracted to someone else so soon after the accident. I felt horrible…guilty…like I was somehow cheating on Tracy…because I couldn't get you off of my mind."

Annette's eyebrows were raised in surprise. She couldn't believe that this gorgeous creature couldn't stop thinking about _her_!

"So I talked to my psychologist about it," continued Brooks as he cleared his throat nervously, "And she suggested that I talk to you and if I feel comfortable about it, maybe even ask you out on a date. Because that would be the ultimate step in moving on…dating. But, if you don't want to don't worry about it I totally understand, I…"

"Yes!" said Annette suddenly, making Brooks jump, "I mean, um, yeah sure, I'd love to go on a date with you."

Brooks laughed as he put an arm around Annette's shoulders, "Well I'm glad to hear it! Now…I can't promise you it's going to be a walk in the park with me. I know I'll have some moments that I'll have to work through. I can't promise you anything more than just a few dates right now…I want to make sure I'm completely ready before I commit to any kind of relationship."

Annette nodded, "No, that's completely understandable. Yeah, that's fine with me."

Brooks smiled as he felt his heart soar, "Good…so what time should I pick you up tomorrow night?"

…

"HE ASKED YOU OUT!" exclaimed Lauren once she, Annette and Mike Green arrived back at the apartment, "Are you serious!"

Annette laughed as Lauren squealed with excitement and gave her a huge bear hug. Mike Green looked like he was about to jump up and down with joy.

"That's freaking awesome!" he shouted, "Oh man, I've never been so proud of my best friend before in my life! This is epic!"

"Oh my gosh!" said Lauren as she pulled away from Annette, "We can go on double dates….double dates!"

Annette laughed at Lauren's expression. Her friend could be so spastic and animated when she got all worked up.

"I'm sure Brooks would like that," she said as she watched Lauren and Mike bounce up and down like little kids, "But take it easy, okay? He wants to take this slow…he's only been in therapy for a little over a month now. He wants to make sure he's completely okay before he commits to any kind of relationship."

"Oh of course," agreed Lauren, "But this is _huge_! I never thought he'd reach this point!"

"That makes two of us!" exclaimed an over-joyed Mike Green, "Oh man this is gonna be so epic! I have a good feeling about this…a really good feeling!"

"Okay spaz, it's time for you to leave," said Annette as she laughed at Mike's antics, "Lauren and I gotta get up early to do work. I have a date tomorrow night and I'm sure you and Lauren will have plans."

Lauren and Mike exchanged a look that greatly concerned Annette. It was like they were scheming without saying a word.

"Oh no, what?" asked Annette, "What are you two crazies thinking?"

"Nothing," said Mike with a smirk, "Just planning our evening tomorrow…have a good night ladies!"

Annette narrowed her eyes at Mike in suspicion as she watched him kiss her friend and then head out of the apartment. Once he left, she turned her suspicious gaze on Lauren.

"What?" asked Lauren, trying to look innocent.

Annette sighed and rolled her eyes. She knew there was no point interrogating Lauren…she was a master at lying anyway.

Lauren smiled when she realized she had won. Annette said goodnight to her and walked to her room, casting a final suspicious glare in Lauren's direction before she closed the door. Lauren laughed and went into her room and closed her door. Tonight had been amazing…and tomorrow was sure to be even better…

…

**Please Review!**


	14. Espionage

**A bit of a sappy/humorous chapter, but with all the angst in this story I figured this was a necessary break from it…that and the fact that the Capitals just beat the Devils 3 to 0 put me in a really good mood! Lol : ) **

Annette was a nervous wreck as she went through her closet for the thousandth time. Lauren rolled her eyes as she watched her best friend throw clothes out of the closet, trying to put together the perfect outfit for her date with Brooks Laich.

"You do realize you're gonna look good no matter what you put on right?" asked Lauren as she smirked in amusement at her best friend's panicked state, "And he already likes you so it's not like you have to impress him anymore than you already have."

"But…it's _Brooks Laich_!" said Annette as she held up a top and looked in the mirror.

Lauren rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Wear the pink one…you look good in pink. And the dark jeans…yeah those."

Annette glanced back over at Lauren, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Pick out an outfit in like, five seconds?" asked Annette shaking her head in bewilderment.

Lauren shrugged, "I dunno…practice from college I guess. Having to dress up every day for all those law classes…guess I just got used to throwing stuff together last minute."

Annette sighed, "Well that's done…but what about my hair? And makeup? Oh, I'm never gonna be ready in time."

"Dear Lord," muttered Lauren as she grabbed Annette's hand and dragged her into the bathroom, "Come on, I got this."

…

"You sure it's not overkill?" asked Annette, frowning at her reflex ion in the mirror. She never wore makeup…she was one of those lucky people who don't have to and still look gorgeous.

"It's just a little mascara and a hint of blush," said Lauren in exasperation, "And the curls in your hair are adorable! Brooks won't know what to do when he sees you."

Annette smiled at that, "I just hope I don't make a fool of myself."

"You won't," assured Lauren, "Just go out and have fun. Enjoy your dinner and wherever he takes you afterwards…maybe he'll take you back to his place," she added in a suggestive tone.

Annette just rolled her eyes and Lauren laughed at her friend's annoyed expression. Just then someone knocked on their apartment door. Annette jumped in surprise, her eyes growing wide with panic.

"Relax…I'll get the door," said Lauren with a smirk as she watched Annette double-check herself in the mirror.

"Hey, Brooks!" said Lauren as she opened the door.

"Hey, Lauren," said Brooks, smiling nervously. He was wearing a nice pair of name-brand jeans with a black v-neck t-shirt and matching jacket. Lauren suddenly understood Annette's attraction to the man…he cleaned up well.

"Hey baby!" announced Mike as he popped out from behind Brooks, "Thought I'd come by and hang out with you since our friends will be occupied tonight."

Mike gave Brooks a suggestive wink and Brooks pretended to try and punch his best friend. Mike laughed as he ducked out of the way and hid behind Lauren. Lauren laughed as she wrapped an arm around Mike's waste and he wrapped his arms around her.

Just then, Annette emerged from her room. Brooks Laich froze. He openly gaped as he watched Annette walk over to them, much to Lauren and Mike's amusement.

"Hey," said Annette, feeling herself begin to blush.

"Um…hi," stammered Brooks as he closed his mouth quickly and tried to appear like he wasn't as rattled as he felt, "You look…you look amazing."

Annette smiled at that, "Thank you…you look amazing yourself."

Brooks smiled and felt his face turn red. Mike and Lauren tried to hide their amusement as they watched Brooks hand Annette a bouquet of roses.

"You ready to go?" he asked as he gave her a hug.

Annette nodded and let Brooks lead her out of the apartment. She glanced over her shoulder and gave Lauren and Mike an excited smile.

"You two behave now!" called Mike.

"Yeah you better bring my roommate back at a decent hour, Brooks!" said Lauren, trying to sound intimidating.

Annette and Brooks just laughed and rolled their eyes at their friends as they walked down the hallway and left the apartment.

The second the door shut, Mike and Lauren scrambled.

"Your clothes are in my room!" shouted Lauren as she ran and grabbed a bag from behind the sofa.

Mike ran into Lauren's room and began to change. A few seconds later, they were both clothed in all black. Lauren quickly grabbed a container of eye-black and began to cover their faces in black face paint.

"Alright, you got the name of the restaurant Brooks is taking her to?"asked Lauren.

"Yeah he said its Legal Seafoods…across from the Verizon Center," said Mike as he finished putting on the last touches of black paint on his face.

"Good, let's go!"

….

Annette and Brooks arrived at Legal Seafoods and waited at the front to be seated. While they waited, Annette decided to strike up a conversation with Brooks.

"The team seems to be doing a lot better lately," she commented.

Brooks smiled, "Yeah it's great. I really missed those guys…everyone's firing on all cylinders."

"Well I can assure you that they missed you too," said Annette as she looked into his piercing blue eyes, "Things just weren't the same without you around."

Brooks felt himself flush a little at that, "I feel terrible about what I put everyone through."

"Don't…we all understood. The guys were just worried about you…they wanted to make sure you were going to be okay again. I think that's what upset them the most. They were scared you wouldn't be the same."

"I was scared I wouldn't be either," murmured Brooks as he reached down and took Annette's hand, "But between you, Mike and Lauren I found my way back. I just needed a little help…and I was just too stubborn to admit that for a long time. You guys saved my life…literally. You especially."

Annette looked up at him and gave him a questioning look.

"That day when you guys found me in the apartment," explained Brooks, "When Mike was clinging on to me…I looked over his shoulder and saw you standing there…and something inside of me just clicked. I mean…I never believed in love at first sight or anything like that. I'm not a hopeless romantic. But…there's just something about you. I can't explain it…just seeing you made me want to get better. I wanted to move on so that one day, if I was lucky you were still single, I would be able to take you out. I just knew then that I had to reach that point. So, thank you…I owe you so much."

Annette was deeply moved by Brooks' words and felt her heart soar with happiness. She gave his hand a squeeze and smiled up at him, "Trust me…this is more than enough. I had a crush on you the first time I saw you. I've been praying you'd pull through all of this. I just wanted to see you happy. I wanted to see the man Brooks Laich was before everything happened…and now I am."

Brooks smiled as he felt the now-familiar feeling of warmth course through his body. This felt right…no…it felt _perfect…_

...

"Can you see anything?" hissed Mike as he watched Lauren peek through the window of Legal Seafoods.

"Yeah," whispered Lauren, "They're sitting at a table near the front…Annette's back is to me. I can see Brooks…they're both laughing. I think it's going good!"

"Do you know how much they would kill us if they had any idea we were spying on them?" whispered Mike with a smirk, "Brooks would probably kill me."

"And that's why we're not going to get caught," said Lauren as she gave Mike a stern look, "Just be careful and follow my lead…I'm a federal agent, I got this…"

…

"There they are!" hissed Mike as he pointed at the entrance to the restaurant.

"Shh," hushed Lauren as she and Mike ducked down the alley and watched the couple walk down the street, "Are they heading to the car?"

"Looks like they're contemplating it," whispered Mike as he peered around the corner, "Oh…no now it looks like they're going to walk. He's holding her hand…they're walking away from us, heading to the Mall."

Lauren smiled and nodded approvingly, "Good…Annette will like that. A little moonlight stroll, take a look at the monuments at night…good choice, Brooks."

"Should we follow them?" asked Mike as he glanced back at Lauren.

"Duh," said Lauren as she playfully punched her boyfriend, "That _is_ the whole point of us dressing up like this right?"

Mike smiled as he gave Lauren a quick kiss, "If we get arrested for dressing like a couple of robbers I'm so holding this over your head forever."

"Please, I brought my badge, we're good," assured Lauren as she gave Mike a wink, "Come on babe they're getting away from us."

…

Annette felt her heart skip a beat when Brooks reached down for her hand again as they strolled down the streets of D.C. They passed the Verizon Center and headed down toward the Mall. They had decided to take a walk and talk instead of heading to the theater for a movie and Annette couldn't be happier about Brooks' decision. This was the perfect opportunity for the two of them to get to know one another better.

After about half an hour of walking and talking, Brooks turned around sharply and looked behind them. He narrowed his eyes as he watched two dark figures a good distance back, disappear into some bushes.

"What is it?" asked Annette as she turned and peered into the darkness.

"I think we're being followed," muttered Brooks as he glared at the bushes.

Annette's eyes grew round with surprise, "What? By who?"

Brooks frowned, "No clue…fans maybe? Let's keep walking...I'll keep an eye on it."

…

"Damn it!" hissed Lauren as she picked yet another sharp, pointed leaf from her shirt, "That was close."

"He saw us," said Mike, looking spooked, "I'm telling you he saw us!"

"Shhhh!" shushed Lauren, "If you yell like that he will! He saw two people dive into a bush, he didn't see who we were. There's no way…our faces are painted black and it's dark outside. He probably thinks some psycho fans are stalking him or something."

"Lauren…if he figures out its us…I'm so dead," murmured Mike as he glanced nervously up ahead where Brooks and Annette were walking toward the Capital.

"Well next time, let's not dive into the bushes," said Lauren as she gave Mike a playful glare.

Mike glanced away sheepishly, "Sorry…it was an impulse."

"And you had to drag me in with you?" asked Lauren as she pulled another sticky leaf off of her shirt, "And into a pokey bush no less! At least pick a bush without needles all over its leaves next time."

Mike smirked as he helped Lauren pull the leaves off of her clothes.

"You know…for a federal agent you're kind of a wimp."

Mike ducked as Lauren pretended to punch him. He laughed loudly and then flinched when he realized that Brooks had turned again to look at them.

…

"I think it's just another couple out on a date," said Annette as she squinted at the two dark figures, "Looks like they're playing around or something."

"But why are they dressed in all black then?" asked Brooks, his eyes narrowed in suspicion, "Something's not right. Here, follow me…we're gonna get to the bottom of this."

…

"Where's he taking her?" asked Lauren as she watched Brooks lead Annette across the street.

"The Smithsonian?" said Mike, looking confused, "The museums closed hours ago."

Lauren frowned as she grabbed Mike's hand and forced him to pick up the pace, "Well wherever they're going we better hurry…we just lost our visual of the target."

Mike rolled his eyes at Lauren's government-lingo and smirked as he followed her across the street.

…

"Are they coming?" whispered Annette as Brooks peered cautiously around the corner.

"They just crossed the street," said Brooks, his voice barely above a whisper, "Stay back…let me handle this."

Annette couldn't help but smirk a little. She was a federal agent and here was this big, tough hockey player read to defend her against two creepers. Despite the circumstances it was quite humorous.

Soon, Annette and Brooks could hear the two strangers' footsteps as they neared the corner where they were hiding. Brooks held up a hand to Annette, signaling her to stay back as he prepared to attack.

…

"OH SHIT!" screamed Mike as someone whirled around from behind the Smithsonian and wrapped their hands around his throat.

Lauren cried out in surprise as Brooks slammed Mike up against the building.

"…Mike?" asked Brooks as he slowly released his grip in Mike's throat.

"Yeah," choked Mike, "Could you please…let go? I…can't really breathe over here."

Brooks released his grip on Mike's neck and took a step back, "What the hell are you two doing here?"

"We thought it was a great night for a walk," said Mike, desperately trying to cover their tracks, "Guess great minds think alike, huh?"

"Yeah, that's why you guys are dressed in all-black and painted your faces?" asked Annette as she turned the corner once she realized there was no real danger.

"Uh…we were playing a game?" tried Mike, in vain.

"Give it up Mike, we've been caught," said Lauren with a sigh.

"You were spying on us? Really?" asked Annette, torn between being annoyed and amused by the whole situation.

Lauren glanced away sheepishly and Mike shuffled his feet on the ground.

"We just…wanted to make sure everything was going well," said Mike, trying to justify his actions, "You guys know us…always the over-protective best friends…"

Annette rolled her eyes, "No, really?" she asked sarcastically, "You guys? Over-protective? Never!"

Brooks couldn't help but laugh a little at Annette's sarcasm, "You guys are ridiculous," he said as he ruffled Mike's hair.

"We should probably leave them alone now," suggested Lauren as she gave her best friend an apologetic look, "Before they decide to stop being nice and kill us."

Mike nodded in agreement, "Uh, yeah good idea…bye guys! Have a good night!" called Mike as he and Lauren made their hasty retreat.

Brooks and Annette laughed at their best friends as they watched them walk quickly down the street.

"I guess privacy is gonna kind of be a joke for our relationship with those two around, huh?" asked Brooks as he smirked in amusement.

Annette nodded in agreement as she reached for Brooks' hand, "Oh trust me…with Lauren that was mild."

Brooks smiled when he felt Annett's hand reach for his, "I'm okay with that. You have a good friend in Lauren."

"And you in Mike," agreed Annette, "We're both lucky to have them around…despite their antics."

Brooks chuckled, a sound that made Annette's heart melt, "Ain't that the truth," he said as he led Annette down the street, "Now…where did we leave off?"

…

**Please Review!**


	15. The Day Before You

**I'm heading back to school tomorrow so this is an epilogue of sorts : ) Thank you to those who have been reading and reviewing this story! : ) enjoy the last installment!**

_One Year Later…_

"I've never been this scared in my life," said a very nervous-looking Brooks Laich.

"Dude you're sweating," said Mike with a laugh as he adjusted his friend's bow-tie, "I thought you don't sweat, Mr. No-body-fat."

"Funny," said Brooks as he gave his best friend a glare.

"Oh, lighten up, it's no big deal," assured Mike as he helped straighten out Brooks' suite, "I did this just three months ago…went smooth as can be. It's not that bad…and when those doors open and you see her, trust me…the nerves go away. It's the best feeling in the world, man. Trust me on that one."

Brooks smiled at that as he envisioned Annette in her dress. He felt the nerves slowly slide away and nodded, "Yeah…maybe you're right."

Mike rolled his eyes, "Of course I am…was there ever a doubt?"

Brooks smirked at that and playfully punched his best friend in the shoulder.

"Hey!" exclaimed Mike as he side-stepped out of the way, "Don't wanna ruin your best man's brand new tux now do you? It'd ruin the pictures."

Brooks laughed openly at that, "Oh yeah a slightly wrinkled tux will ruin the pictures," he said sarcastically, "The fo-hawk on the other hand is completely acceptable."

"Don't hate on the hawk!" said Mike as he reached up to make sure his hair was just so, "You know my wedding pictures look legit because of my hawk…I gotta stay fresh, man!"

Brooks laughed, "Alright, come on…it's almost time."

…

"Lauren I feel like I'm going to puke," said Annette as she studied her reflection in the mirror.

"Relax," said Lauren as she hurriedly moved around Annette, adjusting her dress and making small fixes to her hair, "Trust me, once the doors open and you see him you'll feel completely better. It's the best feeling in the world…just look at him when you walk down the aisle. You won't be nervous at all."

Annette frowned as she tried to picture herself walking down the aisle, "But what if I fall? I can't handle that…I'm gonna trip and it's gonna be a disaster."

"Oh you are so dramatic," said Lauren as she rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Please, you'll be just fine. Don't even think about it. Just think about him…and what the two of you will be doing for the next two weeks after today."

Annette blushed at that. The past year of her life had been a whirlwind. Between her hectic job with the FBI, Brooks' hockey career soaring to an all-new high, and the two of them falling madly in love life couldn't be any better. Lauren and Mike had gotten married three months ago and Annette had been the maid of honor. It was a gorgeous wedding that went on without a hitch. The two love-birds went to the Cayman Islands for their honeymoon and came back happier than Brooks or Annette had ever seen them. Around that time was when Brooks had popped the question. After finishing up therapy, Brooks knew that he was whole again. Between scoring the winning goal of the Stanley Cup finals and falling in love with Annette he knew his life was complete again. Today would seal that deal for the rest of his and Annette's lives.

Suddenly, Lauren grabbed her stomach and winced in pain. Annette gave her best friend a concerned look.

"Lauren? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Um, good question," said Lauren as she felt the pain ease, "I've been having these awful pains in the morning...sometimes I get sick too. I don't know what it is. Maybe I need to get my acid reflux prescription adjusted or something."

Annette raised an eyebrow at that, "You don't think you're…?"

Lauren's eyes flew open in surprise, "Oh dear Lord I hope not! We're safe…we use protection. I couldn't be pregnant…could I?"

"Hey those things aren't full-proof you know," warned Annette, "Maybe you should take a pregnancy test?"

Now Lauren did look like she was going to be sick, "Shit…we only have an hour left."

"Go on," assured Annette, "I'll finish up with my hair."

Lauren nodded as she rushed out of the room and raced down the hallway, making a bee-line for the parking lot. She was going to kill her husband if she was pregnant…

…

"Fifteen more minutes," said Mike as he, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin stood in the hallway waiting anxiously for the signal to walk down the aisle and take their positions.

"I can't believe you and Brooksy are both married," said Nicklas as she shook his head, "Who would have ever guessed either of you would fall that hard for someone?"

Mike rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah well…sometimes you just find the right one you're willing to settle down for. I sure as hell am lucky I found Lauren. She's amazing."

"MIKE GREEN I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"What was that about Lauren?" asked Alex with a smirk on his face.

Mike's eyes were round with surprise and fear as he noted the infuriated tone in his wife's voice, "What the hell did I do?"

Lauren stormed out of the women's restroom of the small church and charged down the hall toward Mike. She had some kind of plastic stick in her hand and looked like she was torn between puking and murdering someone.

"Look at this!" shouted Lauren as she shoved the stick in Mike's face.

Mike Green paled when he saw what it was: a pregnancy test…and it was positive.

"Oh…my…." stammered Mike, at a loss for words.

"You got me pregnant you jerk!" shouted Lauren, "I'm freakin' pregnant! We were gonna wait at least a year! It's been THREE MONTHS!"

Mike Green's eyes softened as he contemplated the fact that his wife was pregnant. A goofy grin appeared on his face as he wrapped his arms around Lauren and hugged her tightly.

"Oh baby I love you so much," he murmured into her hair as he hugged her, "We're gonna have a baby!"

Lauren looked completely baffled by Mike's reaction. She gave Alex and Nicklas a confused look. They were too busy laughing hysterically at the scene to be of any use.

"You're…okay with this?" asked Lauren, "I mean I thought we talked about this…"

"Are you kidding me?" exclaimed Mike, "I'm gonna be a dad! Hell yeah I'm okay with this! Shit I'm so freakin' happy I don't even know what to do right now! I gotta tell Brooksy! I'm having a baby!"

Lauren watched Mike skip down the hall, her eyebrow raised in disbelief. Nicklas and Alex were still cracking up in the hallway and wiping tears from their eyes. Lauren rolled her eyes at them as she turned and made her way back to where Annette was getting ready. She had to tell her best friend the news…

…

"So, I'm pregnant," said Lauren as soon as she entered the room.

Annette whirled around and gave her best friend a shocked look, "Are you serious? It's positive?"

"Yep," said Lauren as she held up the stick for Annette to see, "Mike got me knocked up. I wanted to rip his head off but he gave me that dreamy, I-love-you-so-much look and skipped down the hall to tell Brooks."

Annette tried not to laugh at that visual image, "Well, that's good! I mean, that's great! Congratulations!"

Lauren frowned at that, "I don't know if the word 'congratulations' is what I was looking for, but thanks."

"Oh please, you're gonna be the best mother in the world!" said Annette, "You're over-protective already so you have that step down."

Lauren made a face at Annette as they began to reminisce about the time Lauren and Mike had stalked Annette and Brooks on their first date.

"Okay, let's go," said Lauren, "Now it's time for you and Brooks to get ready to start making your own babies."

Annette turned a shade paler at that.

"It's a joke!" said Lauren quickly when she noted her friend's reaction, "Just a joke, relax. Come on, let's get you down the aisle before we go down _that_ road."

…

Brooks shifted nervously at the front of the church as he waited for the doors to open. Suddenly the wedding march music blasted in the sanctuary and the doors began to open. He felt his breath catch in his throat when he saw Annette emerge. In that moment he knew he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He nearly forgot to breathe as he watched her glide effortlessly down the aisle. As she moved to stand next to him, he saw the moisture forming in her eyes and knew she was feeling the same way he was.

Never in his life had Brooks felt this…it felt absolutely perfect. As they said their vows Brooks knew that his life was going to change forever…and he couldn't wait to see what was in store for them in the future. Whatever it was he knew he would be able to get through it. With Annette by his side along with his best friend, Mike, he knew he could get through anything.

_I had all but given up on finding__  
__The one that I could fall into__  
__On the day before you__  
__I was ready to settle for__  
__Less than love and not much more__  
__There was no such thing as a dream come true__  
__Oh, but that was all the day before you___

_Now you're here and everything's changing__  
__Suddenly life means so much__  
__I can't wait to wake up tomorrow__  
__And find out this promise is true__  
__I will never have to go back to__  
__The day before you___

_In your eyes I see forever__  
__Makes me wish that my life never knew__  
__The day before you___

_Oh, but Heaven knows those years without you__  
__Were shaping my heart for the that day I found you__  
__If you're the reason for all that I've been through__  
__Then I'm thankful for the day before you…_

…

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